SOUTH Essex is set for a slice of a £500million windfall at the end of the month.

The Governement is to set aside the cash for the Thames Gateway region, which includes parts of south Essex, north Kent, and east London, at its annual spending review.

Mary Spence, chief executive of Thames Gateway South Essex, said she expected south Essex to be in line for significant shares.

She added: "At the end of the month, when the next Government spending round is announced, there will be £500million new money for the gateway and we expect postive news for Southend, Basildon and Castle Point."

Basildon Council deputy leader Tony Ball said he hoped there would be real, lasting investment in south Essex.

He said: "We hope to see more money for improved infrastructure such as roads, more school places and health facilities.

"At the moment the project is still just a Trojan horse for more housing. I understand the sceptics. Let's hope this new money is for infrastructure."

John Lamb, councillor responsible for regeneration on Southend Council, said he will be battling for more cash for regeneration projects in the town, particularly the revamp of the town centre.

He added: "We will be looking to make sure Southend gets its fair share of the money which becomes available.

"We want to progress with the town centre masterplan and its various elements and we also need a great deal of work on the infrastructure."

The funding will be announced at the Thames Gateway Forum at the Excell Centre, Docklands, later this month.

Chief executive defends the scheme THE woman leading the Thames Gateway project in south Essex has hit back at critics.

Mary Spence, chief executive of Thames Gateway South Essex, spoke out after a report from MPs said the whole project could become a "public spending calamity".

Labour MP for Thurrock Andrew Mackinlay slammed the progress of the regeneration and called for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take charge.

Referring to Mr Mackinlay's claim more work was needed, Mrs Spence said: "The Public Accounts Committee appears to be criticising the speed of delivery.

"I am not sure what the grandiose projects are they are referrIng to, that are not happening.

"We have the university in Southend, Pier Hill redevelopment and exciting new developments for Basildon Town Centre.

"The day-to-day stuff on the ground is what counts.

"We have refurbished Rayleigh windmill and the Shell Haven port project is in the final stages on funding."

However, Billericay Tory MP John Baron also criticised the scheme.

He said: "The cross-party report confirms the Government's current stategy has no vision, no plan and clearly no control over the Thames Gateway Project.

"I have always maintained this project is nothing more than a Trojan horse for more houses - given the Government's target of 160,000 new homes by 2016. A fact now confirmed by this Report."

He said £673million of tax payers' money had been spent on the project, and said: "Much of it has been wasted. The people of the Thames Gateway deserve better.

"The problems in this report have been obvious for some time, identified by even the Government's own Urban Task Force two years ago."