TORY councillor Mike Revell believes questions about the accounts for the Thurrock Festival remain unanswered.

The Gazette reported in February how the Orsett councillor had grown concerned about the “incomplete” accounts for T-Fest, and how much of tax payers’ money had been spent on it.

At last night’s full council meeting, cllr Revell announced the accounts he requested had arrived, but said there were no receipts.

He said: “I am pleased to announce I have received the accounts for T-Fest, I first asked for them in October.

“They have arrived, but are not complete as they are without receipts.”

Cllr Revell said he was particularly concerned about the handling of money raised on the day of the festival in July.

He said: “Around £9,000 was collected in cash, some in buckets, some in a raffle, some in donations.

“There are questions about this that we don’t know the answer to.

“”Was this money counted and totalled up on the day? I’m told it was not.

“Was it kept securely overnight? We just don’t know.”

Labour’s cabinet member for leisure, cllr Lynn Worrall, said T Fest is “self financing as far as it can be” and any short -fall is made up from the council’s diversity budget.

Cllr Worrall said she “would do anything” to make cllr Revell happy with the accounts, and had offered for an external auditor to come in and look at them.

She also accused cllr Revell of making a “big show” of the issue in the press.

She added: “You can’t give people a receipt for donations in a bucket.”