Local elections 2024: 'Politicians need to come to us'
A council that is still paying off unprecedented debts could change hands at the local elections.
Thurrock Council in Essex has been making cuts and increasing council tax over the last two years to address debts which peaked at £1.5bn.
A total of 17 seats are up for election on Thursday and Labour could take control from the incumbent Conservatives.
Local businesses told the BBC that the council needed to engage with them more, whatever happens after this week.
'Talk to us'
Gina Bonsu, 41, who runs Mama G's Afro-Caribbean grocery store in Broadway, Grays, said: "I haven't seen any presence of local councillors along here visiting local businesses.
"They need to reach out to us and find out what support it is that we need."
She says Thurrock Council runs consultations on its plans but they are often hard to access.
Ms Bonus continued: "They do expect people to come to their meetings.
"Times have changed. Go to where the people are. Then you will get real answers."
Trading standards and environmental services were the only departments she had previously spoken to, Ms Bonus said.
Her brother Richard Bonsu agrees there is a disconnect between the council and the community.
Mr Bonsu, 37, a youth worker, said he was helping 200 marginalised young people access work.
He often feels "stifled" by the council, he says, and suggests “more support for grassroots organisations" is needed.
"Less barriers, sit down, get people in the room, ask us for our opinion, let us have more input over how things can go," he explained.
"We are on the ground. It’s easy to make legislation and rules but talk to us”.
The council scrapped non-statutory funding for youth services last year, saving £126,000 from its annual budget.
Both Mr Bonsu and Dean Plunkett, a musician who supports adults with learning difficulties in Thurrock, say they have seen the effects of the financial crisis in the borough.
Mr Plunkett, 30, from East Tilbury, says he used to have lots of conversations with Thurrock Council about how to help people with Down's syndrome and autism but that has "been few and far between" since Thurrock filed its section 114 notice in 2022, effectively declaring bankruptcy.
The council has reduced its debt to £434m over the last year.
Mr Plunkett said: "I think that the council needs to do a lot more to get the community back on board... they needed to show us that they have made a mistake, they have messed up massively.
"We are paying for the cost of it, how can we fix this?"
'Going to be tough'
Out on the campaign trail, the Conservative leader of Thurrock Council, Andrew Jefferies, said winning the election would be "tough" for his party
"Not only have we got the issues facing Thurrock with the council, but look at the polls: the Conservative party is not particularly popular at the moment," he admitted.
"On the streets when we are talking to people, they are angry with us, they are disappointed with us, but they do not want to vote Labour.
"We've got a plan; they haven't."
Mr Jefferies promised there would be no library closures or cuts to children services and lollipop workers if the Tories kept control.
He said there were "loads" of opportunities for businesses on the way - highlighting the Thames Freeport - and said council staff were clear that "we will work with businesses".
Labour's John Kent was Thurrock Council's leader until 2016, when the Tories took over the administration.
"We are going to have to take tough decisions, that's as result of the Conservatives borrowing £1.5bn and bankrupting the council," he lamented.
"The last financial year, the council spent more on repaying debt than on every single service that it provides.
"That is utterly unsustainable".
Mr Kent pledged to "go root and branch through every single service the council provides to look at a better way of providing value for money".
He promised to work with the local community, but added: "We can't rule anything out.
"People are sick of having glib promises made that just can't be delivered upon.
"I don't think we will have to close any libraries, but I'm not going to promise that we won't do it, that would just be unfair".
The Conservatives and Labour are standing a candidate for every seat.
A full list of candidates is available via the council website.
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