THURROCK Council has drawn up a list of areas that it needs to improve on.

Better financial management, clearer communications, a new constitution, and improved relations with other organisations were among the aims presented to the council’s Improvement Board.

The board, made up of local government experts, senior councillors and officers, was set up in response to the council's recent two star rating in the Audit Commission’s Direction of Travel Statement.

Improvement Board Chair, Council Leader Garry Hague welcomed councillors from the opposition Labour Party in recognition that cross-party working could help speed up the council's improvement programme.

Councillor Hague, said: “While Thurrock Council has improved in many areas that residents have said are important to them, it is not improving adequately and quickly enough in other areas that are important in terms of transforming the council from a two star to a four star authority.

"We want to see Thurrock Council become a top performing authority and establishing an Improvement Board has enabled us to secure additional input and resources that will support the council on its improvement journey.

“A number of key focus areas have been identified and supporting work streams have been developed which will enable progress to be accelerated.”

Interim Chief Executive of the council, Bob Coomber, explained how a focused and intensive period of work was now underway and that this would help underpin Thurrock's change programme.

The Board was also told that the council is on track to appoint a permanent Chief Executive who is likely to be in post by the autumn.