The Mayor welcomed Members back into the Chamber after the New Year and announced he had held a fund raising event for his charity, Giving for Thurrock (GiFT), on the 12 January where 10 other mayors had visited Thurrock and had raised £780. The Mayor thanked all those that attended and reminded Members that donations to this charity could be made through member services.

The Leader also welcomed Members back into the Chamber following the Christmas break and welcomed the new Councillors to the Conservative Group. The Leader thanked the Mayor for agreeing to the late urgent item of business and thanked Roger Hirst, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for attending this evening.

The Leader was delighted to report that two very positive inspections had been undertaken that highlighted the importance of what the Council carried out to look after the most vulnerable members in the community. The Leader announced the Ofsted inspection carried out on Children’s Services had been rated as “good” alongside a Care Quality Commission inspection of the Thurrock Care at Home Service had also been rated as “good”. The Leader agreed that this demonstrated the hard work the Council were doing to support vulnerable children and adults in Thurrock.

The Leader stated that it had been another incredible year for the award winning Give a Gift scheme with more than 2,200 young people getting a gift at Christmas thanks to the generosity of residents, Lakeside shoppers and local businesses. The Leader gave special thanks to intu Lakeside, Tesco Extra Lakeside, Linton Hoarding Solutions, Amazing Solutions and all the other businesses who gave their support. Council staff who volunteered their time to staff the shop, wrap and hand deliver the presents were also thanked by the Leader.

The Leader stated that the 14th Thurrock Civic Awards would be held at the end of February 2020. An event to celebrate the tremendous contributions for those that made a positive difference in the community and to recognise the talents of some of the highest achieving individuals, teams and businesses in the borough.

The Leader stated on Monday 27 January 2020, he had joined Cabinet Members, Councillors, pupils from local schools and religious leaders at the Palmer Memorial Gardens in Grays who had come together to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. The event had been more poignant as it marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. A memorial flame had been unveiled for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's 75 flames project which would now be displayed at an exhibition in London.

The Leader provided a Clean It, Cut It, Fill It update that since April 2019:

·         1,568 potholes filled, more than 99% within agreed timeframes

·         987 fly-tips cleared

·         2,996 tonnes of waste cleared from streets

·         3,487 fixed penalties had been issued for offences such as litter, dropping cigarette butts and various forms of anti-social behaviour

·         208 £400 fly-tipping fines issued

·         268 people prosecuted at court for not paying their on the spot fines

·         3 traveller encampments moved under the Council’s new interim injunction powers granted last September

The Leader congratulated Councillor Pothecary and Councillor Gerrish on the birth of their baby boy.

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Okunade, congratulated Councillors Pothecary and Gerrish on the birth of their baby boy George with Councillor Pothecary expected to be back in the Chambers for February Council.