Thurrock is a Conservative minority Council with a third of the seats up for election on May 6. The Council covers two Parliamentary seats currently held by Labour – the Thurrock constituency (Target 125 or the Conservatives) and part of South Basildon and East Thurrock.
The last time elections took place in the wards (mostly 2008 results) we saw that no Labour councillors were returned for wards in South Basildon or East Thurrock. Six of the seven relevant Thurrock wards went to the Conservatives (one to an Independent) while four of the five relevant Basildon Council wards went to the Conservatives (one to the Lib Dems.) This must be an encouraging base for our General Election candidate Stephen Metcalfe.
The Thurrock constituency will be tougher prospect for our candidate Jackie Doyle-Price. The last time the wards were fought five of them returned Conservatives, six Labour and one BNP.
The BNP are a significant threat in Thurrock. Their candidate for Orsett Ward is Mark Onion (pictured) who says on Facebook that his favourite book is Mein Kampf. Their sitting councillor Emma Colgate has disowned him. But she was in cahoots with the openly Nazi Mark Collett who has been ousted. I suppose as a National Socialist party the BNP takes votes from Labour rather than the Conservatives. But it would still be preferable if these loathsome creatures crawled back under the rock they came from.
The Conservative-run Council has focussed on the postive message of regeneration.