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Thurrock threatens to sue councils over its failed investments

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Thurrock threatens to sue councils over its failed investments


grey placeholderBBC Thurrock Council building - a three-story brick structure with large windows on the ground floor.BBC

Thurrock Council leader John Kent said “we have a duty to consider all lines of recovery”

Financially troubled Thurrock Council is considering legal claims against more than 20 other local authorities.

The unitary council in south Essex became effectively bankrupt two years ago after it borrowed and invested hundreds of millions and racked up a £1.5bn debt.

It received valuations for its solar investments from the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), which is owned by local councils.

Thurrock “believes that valuations of the solar assets undertaken by APSE, which they allowed the council to rely on, were negligent and overvalued those assets”. APSE said it “entirely rejected” Thurrock’s statement that valuations “led to significant financial losses to Thurrock with negative impact on taxpayers”.

The councils that face being sued include Luton, Southampton, Bristol, Eastleigh, Cardiff and Hertfordshire, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (full list at the bottom of this story).

Mo Baines, chief executive of APSE, said this would lead to “significant legal costs on other councils which we believe has no merit”.

APSE provides advice to local authorities and warned if Thurrock proceeded it could end up affecting all 250 councils in the UK as co-defendants. Seeking independent legal advice could cost each council around £25,000, according to APSE.

Ms Baines said she “remains hopeful there is a positive resolution” but told the BBC that Thurrock’s action would mean “other councils become embroiled” in paying for their financial failure.

She questioned whether “council taxpayers of Norwich to Northumberland take a hit for the losses of a council they have had nothing to do with?”.

Recovering money

Thurrock Council told the BBC the claim was “against a representative group” of councils who are APSE members “to reduce the impact and cost of the legal action for all the councils involved”.

“Under the court procedure, the presumption is that a claim against the representative councils will be binding against all 250 APSE member councils,” a Thurrock spokesperson said.

High Court proceedings have begun against businessman Liam Kavanagh and Rockfire Group, who Thurrock invested hundreds of millions with.

Last year, a government commissioned report concluded Thurrock, which at the time was run by a Conservative administration, lost “substantial sums of public money” because of systemic weaknesses and a “dereliction” in leadership.

John Kent, who has been the leader of the council since Labour resumed control in May 2024, said “we have a duty to consider all lines of recovery”.

Thurrock Council managed to claw black £513m last year from divestments which was used to pay back loans.

A further £90m is expected to be recouped this year.

Its current debt level is understood to be about £1bn.

The full list of councils facing possible legal action:

  • Bolsover, Derbyshire
  • Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
  • Bristol
  • Cardiff
  • Derby
  • East Riding of Yorkshire
  • Eastleigh, Hampshire
  • Flintshire
  • Gedling, Nottinghamshire
  • Hertfordshire
  • Isle of Wight
  • Luton
  • Oxfordshire
  • Preston
  • South Oxfordshire
  • South Tyneside
  • Southampton
  • Stockton-on-Tees
  • Swansea
  • Vale of Glamorgan
  • Warrington, Cheshire
  • West Lindsey, Lincolnshire
  • Wolverhampton



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NatWest blocks staff from using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger

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NatWest blocks staff from using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger


NatWest Group has blocked messaging services WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype on company devices in the UK to stop staff using them to communicate with each other.

The bank had already told employees to stick to “approved channels” for conversations about business matters.

But now it has gone further and made the platforms inaccessible on work phones and computers.

So-called off-channel communications are a persistent problem in both business and politics, with concerns that services such as WhatsApp are used to reduce the scrutiny some conversations can be subject to.

Messages can be difficult to retrieve or even set to disappear – whereas those sent via approved channels are fully retrievable, meaning they can be looked into if there is any suspected wrongdoing.

“Like many organisations, we only permit the use of approved channels for communicating about business matters, whether internally or externally,” NatWest said in a statement.

It said the change came into effect earlier this month.

Banks in the US have been handed fines worth more than $2.8bn (£2.18bn) over the past few years over record-keeping rules – with workers unable to retrieve old messages from some messaging services.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citigroup are among those to be issued with penalties.

It was reported in August that the UK banking regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), is considering a probe into how bank workers use messaging services.

It follows a fine issued by energy regulator Ofgem to Morgan Stanley over calls made on private phones over WhatsApp – breaching rules on record-keeping.

Outside of banking, there have been issues with staff using apps in the public sector, with questions surrounding how ministers have used WhatsApp for government business in recent years.

The UK Covid inquiry revealed officials and ministers had deleted WhatsApp messages exchanged during the pandemic.

That included then-prime minister Boris Johnson, with then cabinet member Penny Mordaunt telling the inquiry that two years of messages with him had disappeared. Johnson told the inquiry he had lost around 5,000 messages.



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Taurid meteor shower 2024: How and when to watch Monday peak

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Taurid meteor shower 2024: How and when to watch Monday peak


Viewing the Taurids may be affected by the illumination of the Moon, which could obscure some of the fainter meteors. The Moon will be in a waxing gibbous phase – going from half moon to full moon.

However, the weather is looking much more favourable for stargazing now. The recent blanket of cloud we have had for several weeks has moved off, leaving a clearer air mass and a much better view of the night sky.

Fog patches may obscure the sky for some – especially across southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and north Wales. Any fog will tend to sit in the valleys though, so head for higher ground in these regions to have a better chance of spotting some spectacular shooting stars.

If you do miss this meteor shower you won’t have long to wait until the next one, as the Leonid meteor shower is expected to peak next week on the morning of 18 November.

Keep across your local forecast on the BBC Weather website or app.



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DJs to play on ‘cult’ 376 bus between Glastonbury and Bristol

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DJs to play on ‘cult’ 376 bus between Glastonbury and Bristol


One member even has the number tattooed on his stomach.

A group of DJs will celebrate a bus route between Glastonbury and Bristol by performing on board.

Four young musicians from Glastonbury named themselves 3SEVEN6 after the 376 bus service.

Charlie Chamberlain, 26, Harley Kingham, 22, Hayden Salter, 24, and Josh Herridge, 28, will perform aboard the bus during Glastonbury’s illuminated carnival.

Mr Chamberlain said: “We have joked about DJing on the actual 376 for so long; we still can’t actually believe we have been given the opportunity to do that.”

grey placeholderFirst Bus 3SEVEN6 members and Bad Cowboys members are standing next to each other in front of a bus. They are by a pub in Wells. First Bus

Part of 3SEVEN6 and the Bad Cowboys, which are both playing on the bus

grey placeholderFirst Bus Charlie Chamberlain is sitting in a bus driver seat and lifting his shirt to reveal the number 376 tattooed on his stomach.First Bus

Mr Chamberlain said there was a “massive cult following” for the 376 bus

Mr Chamberlain has gone as far as to having the numbers 376 tattooed across his stomach.

He said: “There is such a massive local cult following for the 376 bus. It’s part of a lot of people’s lives when they want to go out.

“Some of the best nights of my life have started on the back of the bus.

“Doing the whole [DJ] set on your own is horrible. You don’t get to socialise. It’s nice having the boys so we can go back to back so we can enjoy the party as well as host the party.”

The bus will be kitted out with a sound system, laser lights and a smoke machine for Glastonbury Carnival on Saturday.

Hayden Salter, one of the other DJs in the band, said: “Gone to the carnival for 23 years, to see it from a different perspective going past all my mates and family is going to be special.”

grey placeholderSome of the ‘3SEVEN6’ band members sitting on the bus

They have been using the bus route to travel to and from Bristol’s nightlife for years

‘Massive party scene’

Mr Kingham added the bus route, which has services running late into the evening, was “critical”.

He said: “It’s honestly the most important thing. There’s a massive party scene in Bristol and it’s the closest city to us.”

Josh Herridge said: “A special bus. It’s a key route for us. We like partying, we like Bristol. It’s a key part of Somerset culture getting into Bristol.”

A spokesperson for First Bus said there was a “serious side” to the performance.

“Their story of using the 376 bus service to find freedom from the rural parts of Somerset to the bright lights of Bristol is really inspiring,” they said.

“It shows the freedom that bus travel can offer, especially to those living in more isolated areas or with limited access to transport.”

3SEVEN6 will be performing on the bus as well as local band Bad Cowboys, which has a song about the route.



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Hull FC: Andrew Thirkill and David Hood enter into exclusivity period

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Hull FC: Andrew Thirkill and David Hood enter into exclusivity period


Former Leeds Rhinos president Andrew Thirkill and businessman David Hood have entered into an exclusivity period to take over Hull FC.

Current chairman Adam Pearson has owned the club for the past 13 years and will stay on in a consultancy capacity.

Thirkill served as president of the Rhinos from 2018 until last month and is the father of Stephanie Thirkill, whose partner is Hull FC’s director of rugby Richie Myler.

The Black and Whites endured a dismal season in Super League in 2024, winning just three of their 27 matches.

“I will be delighted to hand over the reins to Andrew as the club’s new chairman – his love for the sport of rugby league and passion for success provides a perfect combination for the club to thrive once more under his leadership and guidance,” Pearson said.

“After 13 years of ownership, it has been critically important to me to transfer the club into the right hands, and this event certainly ticks all those boxes.

“This change of ownership heralds a bright future for Hull FC.

“We need all of our supporters to rally together to restore unity and pride in our famous club.”



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