A Tory candidate has shown her support for her local Citizens Advice Bureau and asked council leaders to secure its future. 

Jackie Doyle-Price has written today to ask council leader John Kent to personally intervene to secure the future of the Thurrock Citizens Advice bureau from closure and keep it in Grays, rather than move to South Ockendon as has been proposed.

In her letter, she said: "The first thing to say is, and I am sure you agree, we need to retain an independent citizen’s advice service.

"It is also my belief that it needs to be in Grays to be accessible to everyone.

"I would welcome your reflections on that point.

“At present the board is far from independent. With the exception of Barrie Lawrence all the board members are members or officers of the council.

"As such the agenda driven by the board is entirely dominated by the financial interests of the council and not about the duty of trustees to deliver the service.

"Until the board of trustees is fit for purpose there is not going to be a mature decision making process to take the bureau forward.

“The key mover in all this process has been Michael HirstHouse. I am not sure whether he qualifies as a trustee any longer.

“You state that it is with the Bureau's management to come up with a solution.

"This is news to the staff at the bureau. It begs the question then with whom is it with. Is it the chairman? Is it Michael HirstHouse?

"It has been suggested that the bureau will be moved to the South Ockendon hub. I do not think that an appropriate place for this service.

"It should be located in line with how best to deploy the service, not to sort out a black hole in the council's accounts. Put simply, the decision to relocate the service should not be a unilateral decision by one former council officer.

“Being perfectly frank with you, I believe this situation has been mismanaged by officers within the council who have taken exception to the challenge given by the CAB.

"I believe that members are taking the advice of officers in good faith, but we need to grip this situation now or we will lose the service and as the staff are employees of the council that will bring significant costs to the council.

“In the circumstances, in order to secure the future of the bureau, the Council should reinstate the grant to allow the bureau to go forward in the next financial year and to support it in its efforts to constitute a Board which reflects appropriate standards of governance.

"My understanding is that simply allowing it to wither will cost the council more in ongoing liabilities. Without certainty there is no way that staff can try and secure funds to secure its financial future.

“The fate of the bureau is in your hands. Please take a look more closely, if only to satisfy yourself that everyone has behaved appropriately here."