Thurrock's first unitary council was elected on the 1st May 1997. It was the first election under the new arrangements put forward by the Local Government Commission, increasing the number of Wards to 20 and the number of Councillors to 49.
| 22 | Conservative |
| 22 | Labour |
| 2 | Independent |
| 2 | Thurrock Concerned Conservative (TCC) |
| 1 | British National Party (BNP) |