News

Over 3,000 young people in Thurrock help Youth Cabinet to set its priorities for 2026

29 January 2026
Young people aged 11 to 18 years old from across the borough had the opportunity to share which topics were most important to them during a special ballot. 
There were a range of topics young people could vote for, including better PSHE lessons, the environment and Transport.
A total of 3,011 young people took part in the Youth Cabinet ballot, and the top three chosen topics were:

Thurrock comes together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

29 January 2026
Residents of all ages from across Thurrock attended a poignant memorial service in Grays to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. 
Residents, community leaders and local schools gathered at the Herbert E. Brooks Memorial Rest Garden on Tuesday 27 January for the annual memorial service, held to remember the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of others persecuted under the Nazi regime and in more recent genocides. 

Get active to stay active

27 January 2026
Impulse Leisure has launched its 2026 season of Stay Active Stay Well classes which will run year-round.
Pilates Classes, Aveley Library & Community Hub
Mondays from 10:30am to 11:30am
Chair-Based Exercise, Aveley Library & Community Hub
Fridays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Chair-Based Exercise, Chadwell Village Hall
Tuesdays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Chair-Based Exercise, Lansbury Gardens Sheltered Housing Complex Tilbury
Mondays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Fresh funding boost supports milestones for Reanimating Coalhouse Fort project

23 January 2026
The Reanimating Coalhouse Fort project has taken a significant step forward due to an award of £10,000 from Historic England’s Capacity Building Grant Programme.
This vital investment will support essential project foundations, such as the recruitment and training of volunteers. The funds will also assist the development of a business plan and long term funding strategy, plus establish a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

Council recoups significant amounts of public money from past investments

22 January 2026
A report to Cabinet on Wednesday 21 January shows that Thurrock Council has now recovered £661m from past investments as part of its ongoing work to reduce debt and stabilise the council’s finances following its financial collapse in 2022.
The Cabinet report sets out the progress made so far and the work still underway to divest the council of its investments and says that a further £131m is expected to be recovered in the coming years, meaning around £800m is aimed for recovery by 2030.

Thurrock Council opens Re-use Shop to reduce waste

21 January 2026
On Monday 19 January, Cllr Sue Shinnick, Mayor of Thurrock and Cllr Victoria Holloway, Cabinet Member for Place and Environment officially opened the brand-new Re-use Shop at Linford Household Waste and Recycling Centre, to help reduce waste and encourage reuse within the community.

Small Sparks that can make a big difference

20 January 2026
Residents in Chadwell St Mary now have a chance to bring to life their great ideas for improving their community.
The Chadwell in Action: Small Sparks Fund allows residents to apply for up to £250 to support small projects or activities.
It forms part of the wider Chadwell in Action programme, shaped by local conversations about what matters most to the community, and supported by Thurrock Council and Thurrock CVS.
Chadwell in Action has already allocated £15,000 to support initiatives that local people said were important to them.

Thurrock Council’s Cabinet meeting, 13 January

20 January 2026
The Council’s monitoring officer has advised the Leader of the Council that the legality of a decision made by Thurrock Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 13 January is unlikely to be affected by the omission of the publication of an online version of a ‘urgency notice’ which was posted at the council’s Civic Offices on 5 January. 
In the interests of transparency, a copy of the briefing setting out this advice in detail can be found here.

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