Our new Administration raised our Borough’s Coat of Arms outside the Civic Centre in late May 2026. Its Latin motto translates as: ‘By Thames, to the peoples of the world’.
Thurrock has always been a place that makes, moves and trades. But the scale of economic opportunity now coming towards our borough is potentially transformational.
Today, Thurrock is home to more than 7,000 businesses. That business base has grown dramatically: between 2010 and 2022, the number of businesses increased by around 80%, more than twice the national rate. While global names are increasingly visible here, 98.4% of Thurrock firms are micro or small businesses.
Among the major private-sector names already operating in Thurrock are DP World at London Gateway, Forth Ports at the Port of Tilbury, Amazon, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Ocado, Cargill, Culina, Co-op Logistics and Tarmac. They demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of Thurrock's private-sector economy, from ports, logistics and advanced distribution to manufacturing, food production and retail.
Another wave of investment is coming.
DP World announced a further £1 billion expansion of London Gateway, adding two new berths and helping to make it Britain's largest container port. Thames Freeport is moving from its start-up phase into delivery and is projected to support 21,000 jobs and £4.6 billion of investment across its wider economic zone over the next 25 years. Since designation, the Freeport has already secured more than £1.5 billion of private investment and over 1,400 jobs.
Now Google is proposing a major data-centre campus in Thurrock, bringing strategically important digital and AI infrastructure alongside new public open space, trails, lake access, biodiversity improvements and a proposed mountain-bike route.
This is exactly the kind of growth our new Council Administration wants: ambitious, environmentally friendly and employee-focused, providing apprenticeships, higher wages and encouraging a sense of community responsibility among employees.
It has been brilliant to see how all of Thurrock’s larger businesses that I have spoken with since becoming Leader in May have proactively asked how and when they can get involved in our drive for ‘Civic Pride’ and the Civic Recovery Taskforce that is going to smarten up our borough and is being launched on 1 September.
Our new Administration will be uncompromising in attracting higher-value jobs, skills and apprenticeships; building good-quality homes; improving roads and infrastructure; and insisting that investment also contributes to greener neighbourhoods, better parks, walking and cycling trails, and an improved natural environment. That’s why we have put a Local Plan out for public consultation this week, which both protects our green spaces and enables the delivery of ambitious and attractive family communities in the future.
We must also ensure that Thurrock's thousands of smaller businesses share in this success. That is why we have established a new quarterly SME Business Engagement Panel. At its first meeting in July, local businesses began connecting directly with larger organisations that can potentially offer training, funding channels, business support, workspace and procurement opportunities.
Our economic geography matters too. Thurrock became a unitary authority in 1998 and has increasingly capitalised on its position at the heart of the Thames Gateway and along the famous Thames Estuary.
Our three international ports - London Gateway, the Port of Tilbury, the Port of Purfleet - along with West Thurrock and the emerging Thames Enterprise Park, give the borough an economic orientation that looks along the Thames towards London, international markets and global trade.
Our strategic assessment is that roughly two-thirds of Thurrock's economic activity is now Estuary and Thames Gateway-facing, and that by 2036 around 80% of our net jobs growth could be generated through this corridor and its associated investment.
That is why our message is simple: Thurrock is not just open for business, only 20 miles from London (the best city on earth, in my view), Thurrock is surely one of the most promising jobs and investment hotspots in Great Britain!
Our Administration will ensure that this growth is coordinated through a new Thurrock-centric big-business strategy and investment board. This focus, energy and coordination will mean better jobs, higher skills, quality homes, cleaner businesses, stronger infrastructure, and a greener and more attractive borough for all.
Businesses that are environmentally irresponsible or don't wish to give something positive back to our community will not be welcome here.
The investment bonanza is coming. Our job is to make sure the people of Thurrock benefit from it.