THURROCK is a lovely place to live and work. Liberal Democrats want to make it more attractive to families, professionals and thriving businesses to be located.

However there are serious inadequacies with respect to the strategic planning for appropriate infrastructural development and essential services for existing residents and the impending housing expansion and accompanying population growth in the area.

The Lib Dems' ten point plan for improving Thurrock:-

Fairness - We will champion fairness, this means achieving value for money, fighting for a fair share of quality public services and rooting out waste.

Council Finances - We believe that the burden of government initiatives without adequate financial support is putting unnecessary pressure on the council's finances. Liberal Democrats will challenge the government to underwrite the cost of centrally imposed initiatives in whole or part.

We will seek to return business rates to local control in order to boost council finances.

Council tax is unfair and needs to be scrapped.

Many Thurrock residents will benefit from a switch to a fairer system of local income tax which is easy to administer and difficult to evade.

Democratic Accountability - It is a matter of grave concern that unelected bodies without any democratic mandate are increasingly controlling vast sums of public money in Thurrock. This undermines democratic accountability and deprives local communities of their right to have a proper say in the decisions that affect them. This is exemplified by the disarray over the Local Development Framework which Thurrock Thames Gateway and the Council have produced separately and without being synchronised.

Health - We will continue to campaign for improved health provision in Thurrock. We believe that a strong case for a general hospital in the borough remains.

Education - The growth in population in recent years is putting severe pressures on school places. More primary schools should be built in areas where they are most needed.

Housing - Thurrock is facing an urban sprawl. Affordable homes are difficult to come by. This means that local residents are priced out of the market. In exchange for granting planning permission for housing development, want the council to stipulate that a certain percentage of the development must include affordable housing.

Youth Provision - The Council's current arrangements for youth provision are inadequate especially in the west of the borough where the inequality is stark.

Community Integration - There has been no credible alternative to our proposals for introducing parish councils in Thurrock. Parish councils will provide a focal point for community development and integration.

Safeguarding our local environment - In order to meet the government's future recycling targets we need to take action now. We pay too much for disposing of waste in Thurrock. We want more recycling sites and reward residents for recycling more.

Safer roads and safer communities - Road traffic deaths in Thurrock remain high and unacceptable. We will fight for resources and appropriate measures to considerably reduce accidents with a view to eliminating road fatalities. Crime continues to be a major concern of many residents. We will work with the Police to develop more robust strategies