THE mayor of Basildon has called for unity between the towns in the borough at the council’s annual civic service.

Mayor David Dadds addressed councillors on Monday night.

In his speech, he said: “We recognise that our five towns are diverse and special.

“We are united by a common purpose and shared values, with no one being left behind and everyone having a stake in our future.

“The full council is one body and as the poet and priest John Donne (Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and an MP) - famously wrote ‘no man is an island’.

“We all need to work with each other.”

He added the example of people working together such as a goalkeeper, striker and referee who are “all different but indispensable and all belong together in a way which far outweighs any differences”.