Thurrock council bosses have been heavily criticised after attempting to impose a vital decision on the under-fire children’s services - without any democratic oversight or scrutiny.

The council’s management team asked councillors to back a last-minute plan to merge the vital department with another.

The controversy is the latest to hit the department. Last year whistleblowers accused the council of missing opportunities to prevent the death of a toddler in Grays in January 2018.

While a report by a safeguarding barrister found the claims to be unfounded it did prompt a serious case review only carried out if there are suspicions a child was seriously harmed – the result is yet to be published.

Now the head of the department retired today and rather than replace him, council bosses want to merge his responsibilities with those already held by the director of people, housing and health.

However, councillors were not told until days last Wednesday and asked to back the proposal.

During the meeting, the move was fiercely criticised by all parties and eventually rejected, leaving the council with the possibility that no-one will oversee the vital children’s department - which is illegal.

The council’s deputy leader, councillor Shane Hebb, said the plan had been brought to the council “under duress” and questioned the last-minute decision after council officers knew the children’s service director was to retire three months ago.

“The democratic oversight has been virtually nil however the reality is we have to have a director of children’s services by midnight Sunday,” he said.

“We haven’t been able to challenge, provide opinion, examine but we are still being asked to approve.”

Labour group leader councillor Jane Pothecary said she has “grave reservations” about the plan.

“As councillors we have a duty to ask difficult questions, to hold decision to account and to speak truth to power, we have a duty to speak out, we have a duty to raise red flags when we think something is wrong.

“All of the enquiries and reports into avoidable tragedies teach us one simple message. These things happen when people don’t speak up.

“I do not believe that placing responsibility for children’s social care, health, education, adult social care and housing on to one person’s shoulders is a responsible way to protect children, vulnerable adults or the homeless in this borough.

“I urge every elected member here to think really long and really hard if this is the best thing for those vulnerable people and those children at risk that we have a duty to protect and care for.”

She told councillors: “It is not your role to minimise the embarrassment of those whose mistakes have brought us here or to accept the only option on the table because all other options have been denied. It is your role to protect the vulnerable.”

The leader of Thurrock Independents, Councillor Luke Spillman, told councillors it is “not the council’s finest hour”.

He said: “When I find out the actual administration hasn’t had full sight of this it really worries me because there is no democratic accountability for this decision. If the administration had a look at it and put it through in quick period there would be some accountability. If it went wrong they would be accountable for it. The problem is, that isn’t going to happen in this case.”

He added: “Whichever way I vote it is a shoddy outcome for Thurrock. I am really not happy about this, it shouldn’t be the case we are here doing this tonight.”

Conservative Councillor James Halden admitted there had been a “stand-off” between elected members and council officers over the issue, adding he had never known “such a massive issue that was so avoidable”.

The rejection of the plan means that a solution needs to be found by the end of the week or the council will be operating illegally. It was implied during the meeting that the chief executive could merge the services, despite it being voted down by elected members.

A spokesman for the council said: “Thurrock Council has a statutory duty to appoint a Director of Children’s Services. Discussions are now taking place about how the council will fulfil this obligation.”