FORGIVE me for not feeling enthusiastic about John Kent’s rhapsodic prophecies of a wondrous future for Thurrock.

These promises and eulogies have been delivered ad nauseum over the years and yet our borough, in my view, has deteriorated from once a bustling and thriving community into the pale imitation it is today.

Over time, throughout Thurrock, there has been a literal explosion of house building and population, with yet more to come in Butts Lane in Stanford-le-Hope.

No doubt, the land on either side of Linford Road and Princess Margaret’s Road will also become targets in the future. I certainly would not rule it out.

Facetious I may be, but in years to come we will be expected to be grateful for our own square of concrete (or will it be a square metre?).

Roads are routinely gridlocked most mornings and evenings now and town centres throughout the area are fading into obscurity.

Infrastructure is creaking under the strain and yet the Shell Refinery site is to be re-developed creating further demand for housing and yet more traffic, with an inevitable influx of workers from outside the area.

The promise of ‘local’ jobs has always been an illusion, since most companies bring in their own staff and I cannot remember a corresponding explosion of job vacancies.

It is no longer the flourishing and vibrant place it once was. John Kent says he wants to listen to the people and that is what we want him to do.

But we also want him to carry out the wishes of the residents. – R S HARRIS, St Peter’s Road, Chadwell St Mary.