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03.08.23

Local Power

‘Where’s the justice?’: local anger at Thurrock's ruinous deals

Residents left to pick up the bill after disastrous investment policy leaves council with £500m black hole

A graphic of a £50 note with flats in the backdrop

01.08.23

Local Power

Rogue businessman spent Thurrock’s millions on a life of luxury

Documents seen by TBIJ show Liam Kavanagh used £130m of public funds to buy yacht, jet and fleet of supercars

A composite graphic of Liam Kavanagh with a Rolex, a jet and Thurrock flats

31.07.23

Local Power

The Sunshine Millionaire: How one man took £130m from British taxpayers

A rogue businessman appears to have cheated a council in Essex out of as much as £130m and spent the money on a life of luxury in potentially the largest fraud ever committed against a UK local author...

A composite image of a tower block of flats in Thurrock set to a background of paper

16.06.23

Local Power

‘Dereliction of leadership’: Thurrock council ignored warnings and hid catastrophic losses

The bankrupt council in Essex faces having to write off at least £275m of investments

Three people hold a banner that reads: We're not paying your gambling debts

24.03.23

Local Power

‘Everybody’s on their knees’: the fallout of Thurrock’s failed investments

The town’s Thameside complex, which includes a theatre, library and museum, was deemed “surplus to requirements” by the council in July 2021. Campaigners have been fighting for its survival ever since

30.11.22

Local Power

'Unprecedented risk': Thurrock finance chief ignored warnings about catastrophic deals

Sean Clark acted against consultants' advice on investments that have left council with largest budget gap ever reported by a local authority

29.11.22

Local Power

Thurrock council reveals £500m black hole caused by ruinous business deals

Series of catastrophic investments has left Thurrock with biggest deficit ever recorded by UK local authority

19.10.22

Local Power

Thurrock council ordered to disclose details of 'dodgy deals' worth £1bn

Tribunal decision comes after three-year battle by the council to maintain secrecy over its public investments

15.09.22

Local Power

Chaos as Thurrock council tries to deal with backlash of investment scandal

The Bureau has raised serious questions over where £138 million of public money has gone

02.09.22

Local Power

Government steps in to inspect ‘grave concerns’ over council finances

A three-year investigation by the Bureau revealed apparent gaping holes in investments made by Thurrock council that threaten to cost the public hundreds of millions of pounds

21.07.22

Local Power

Council defends secrecy over investments that could cost taxpayers millions

The Bureau’s requests for information about Thurrock council’s £1bn borrowing and investment strategy were rejected

15.07.22

Local Power

His companies made a deal for £138m of taxpayers’ money. Where has it gone?

A three-year investigation by the Bureau, hampered at virtually every stage by Thurrock council, can reveal apparent gaping holes in investments that threaten to cost the public hundreds of millions o...

Sam sits on his sofa at home. He no longer goes to school because they couldn’t provide the support he needed

28.04.22

Local Power

Cornwall to Newcastle: children with disabilities forced to travel hundreds of miles for school

The desperately underfunded special educational needs and disabilities system is having grave consequences for young people and plunging councils further into record debt

19.04.21

Local Power

High court judge questions integrity of businessman behind multi-million pound council deals

More questions for Thurrock council after judge cites "unsatisfactory" evidence from controversial businessman to whom it gave £420m

17.03.21

Local Power

‘Victory for taxpayers’: Bureau wins fight to reveal council investments

The Bureau has won its challenge against Thurrock council's refusal to reveal what it has borrowed and where it has invested almost £1bn of public money

17.12.20

Local Power

Council faces £20m loss after secretive investment goes bad

Thurrock council poured taxpayers' millions into energy company that used cash to set up credit business

18.11.20

Local Power

“Mother of all rainy days” for councils living on borrowed money and borrowed time

Thurrock council, which borrowed millions from other councils to invest in solar energy, is now relying on government money from the Public Works Loan Board to repay its lenders

06.11.20

Local Power

Trial over Thurrock’s solar investment concludes

The case revolves around a deal for 19 solar farms between Toucan Energy Holdings, owned by Liam Kavanagh, and Wirsol, an energy business

22.10.20

Local Power

Bureau launches action over hidden council finances

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is going to a tribunal to force Thurrock council to release key details of how it has invested huge sums of taxpayers’ money

17.10.20

Local Power

Fraud allegations call £400m council investments into question

Rockfire Capital, the company at the centre of the Bureau’s investigation into Thurrock council’s investment spree, has gone into voluntary liquidation just as another business owned by the same man f...

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