Yesterday (Sunday 19.9), we put up this post – Save YOUR Thameside – about a protest scheduled to take place outside the Civic Offices in Grays on Wednesday 22.9 ahead of a full council meeting. The protest is against the proposed closure of the Thameside Complex which houses a theatre, the central library and a museum.

Then today, we have this from Thurrock Nub News: Council calls time on meetings because of leak. Is it a timely intervention as tough issues including theatre campaign were due for debate? Before you read the article, please take a few minutes to watch the video from Save YOUR Thameside where you’ll hear the voices of those who have taken to the stage at the theatre, what it meant to them and why they think it absolutely has to be saved for future generations.

Right, onto the ‘leak’. When we first saw the headline, we (and doubtless a fair few other people) thought it was referring to a leak from a council officer about what really goes on at the Civic Offices. It turns out it was referring to a water leak, discovered nine days ago, which has affected the electrical supply. Thurrock Council are now saying this is the reason why it has postponed a number of meetings – including, it would appear, the full council meeting scheduled for Wednesday 22.9. At the time of writing it hasn’t been officially called off but councillors have been alerted that it’s unlikely to go ahead. How very f***ing convenient…

Literally as this is being typed, @savethethameside have announced on Twitter that the protest is still going ahead. If you’re planning to attend the protest, it may be worth keeping an eye on their Twitter account for updates.

If there are some people at Thurrock Council who think we, Thurrock Nub News, Save YOUR Thameside / @savethethameside are adding two and two together and coming up with five, we have this to say to them… Take some time to look into a mirror and reflect on the number of times the council has treated the concerns of residents in an offhand, dismissive way. Hopefully you’ll then realise why many residents see this latest, evasive move from the council as yet another refusal to face the music…