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Local government minister Jim McMahon wrote to the council leader saying "improvements to date remain fragile" and that there were still "substantial areas in which Thurrock Council still needs to improve".

Lynn Worrall, who became leader of Thurrock Council last month, said: "A lot has been done, but we have much, much more to do."

The commissioners said there had been areas of improvement since Thurrock was placed in special measures in 2022.

Whilst McMahon said Thurrock has "made significant progress", the minister told parliament the council has not "demonstrated that it has the capacity and capability to sustain its own journey of continuous improvement".

Thurrock Council's debt position is expected to rise to £1.1bn over the next year, according to a new report.