Thurrock Council races to spend £12m contributions from developers

Thurrock: So, it turns out that Thurrock Council has over £12 million just sitting there from developers. Some of this cash could actually be lost if they don’t act fast.

The council’s legal team is scrambling to figure out how to keep this money during the planning process. They need to make sure the agreements don’t expire.

Since 2005, they’ve raked in more than £49 million from Section 106 contributions, but they’ve only spent about £42 million of it. This money is meant for all sorts of projects like roads, schools, and healthcare.

Right now, they have about £12.6 million available. Almost £11 million is already earmarked for projects, leaving around £1.6 million still up for grabs.

A recent planning review pointed out that they’re not using these contributions effectively. It highlighted issues with how decisions are made about spending this money. The scrutiny committee met recently and brought in extra staff to tackle the backlog of agreements.

Roy Jones, the committee’s vice chairman, mentioned that they’re aware of the urgency. He’s glad they started addressing this a few months back. He emphasized the need to prioritize the funds that are about to expire.

Lee Watson, the councillor in charge of good growth, reassured everyone that they’re on top of it. They’re reviewing every agreement and pushing to keep the money from slipping away.

On a positive note, Conservative councillor David Day was thrilled to find out there’s £97,000 available for Orsett. After the review, they’ve set up a new system to keep track of these funds, and the Thurrock Strategic Infrastructure Board is now overseeing everything.

Community forums are also getting involved, discussing how best to spend this money. It’s a busy time for the council, but they’re working hard to make sure they don’t lose out on these funds.