Thurrock

April 2013

Cllr Andy Smith

Thurrock – The place

• The heart of the Thames Gateway• 18 miles of river frontage• 60% of the borough Green Belt with historic

villages• At the heart of major transport infrastructure –

ports, roads and rail• Key industries – transport, logistics, port

functions and retail• Number of VAT registered business grown by

40% since 1997 – double the national rate (21%)

Thurrock – The people

• Thriving population - 157,200 forecast to grow to 203,900 by 2031

• 26% of the population between 0 – 19 years

• Non-white population 12.6% (2001: 4.7%)

• Largest BME group 2009 - Asian/Asian British 4.6% • Indicators of deprivation are improving but still problems

in parts of Tilbury, Grays, Belhus, Chadwell, Ockendon and West Thurrock.

• Rates of adult obesity and smoking are higher than average.

Thurrock - Regeneration

• Home to a £6.1 billion regeneration programme

• Aim to create 26,000 jobs and 18,500 new homes by 2021

• The challenge – to make sure local people benefit and prosper from the opportunities that come from the regeneration programme

Thurrock tomorrow…

GRAYS

SOUTH OCKENDON

TILBURY

CORRINGHAM

PURFLEET

AVELEY

STANFORD LE HOPE

CHADWELL ST MARY

LONDON GATEWAY

LONDON GATEWAY PORT

THURROCK LEARNING CAMPUS

STRATEGIC TRANSPORT LINKS

Masterplan Areas / Economic Hubs

Housing Growth Areas

Employment Growth Areas

Housing / Employment Mix Growth Areas

PORT OF TILBURY EXPANSIONLAKESIDE EXPANSION

HIGH HOUSE PRODUCTION PARK

PURFLEET CENTRE

Main challenges: Youth Unemployment & Skills

• 25.9% unemployment 16-19 year olds• Youth unemployment high• High levels of NEET – 8.5%• Low wage levels – poorly paid jobs• Low skills base amongst the Thurrock population• 44% of new jobs will require Level 3 qualification

– only 36% of the population have this level• Levels of job related training low – only 15%• Low levels of aspiration

Thurrock – Our URBACT project

Jobtown – Focus on youth unemployment and poor unemployment, in particular: 1. Developing effective models of cooperation

2. Making education and vocational education and training responsive to the needs of the local labour market

3. Analysis and forecast of labour market

4. Support for business creation and development, self-employment

5. Social economy and resource management

Involvement in the Local Support Group

• LSG co-ordinated by the Council• LSG co-ordinator employed by the Council• My role as Councillor:

– Work with the Local Support Group to understand the issues and develop an action plan

– Help find the resources to implement the action plan– Secure political support for initiatives

Local Support Group – Who else is involved?

• Employers – Port of Tilbury, DP World, Canute• Umbrella organisations - Federation of Small

Businesses, Thurrock Business Association, Thurrock Business Network Group

• Educational Institutions - Gateway Academy, South Ockendon Academy, South Essex College, University of Essex, Anglia Ruskin University, University of East London

• Employment agencies/jobcentres - Job Centre Plus, National Apprenticeship Service, National Skills Academy – Creative and Cultural

• Youth Outreach services – CVS, ngage, Children's Partnership, Community Safety Partnership, Community forums

What the LSG is planning to do• Use expert help to prepare a baseline report on

youth unemployment in Thurrock.• Understand the issues and what causes them• Bring together the partners we need to tackle

the issues.• Learn from other partners – what worked and

what didn’t!• Produce an action plan• Access resources and funding – structural funds

The Local Action Plan?

• Only just moved to implementation phase so too early to say!

• Needs to tackle the issues and make a positive difference

• Focus resources on the right actions

• Mix of quick wins and longer term actions