Thurrock Council: local authority assessment

How we assess local authorities

Assessment published: 29 August 2025

About Thurrock Council

Demographics

Thurrock is a unitary local authority located in the East of England, bordering London, Essex, and the River Thames. It is a key transport and logistics hub due to its proximity to major ports, including the Port of Tilbury and London Gateway, making it an economic area for trade and commerce. The borough has a population of 176,877. The population distribution highlights a predominance of working-age individuals, with 30% of residents aged 25 to 44 years, and 24% falling within the 45 to 64 years age range. Younger residents, including those aged 0 to 14 years, make up 21% of the population, while individuals aged 15 to 24 years account for 11%. The older population, comprising those 65 years and older, represents 14% of Thurrock’s residents. Thurrock ranks 78th out of 153 local authorities in England for deprivation, with an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score of 5 (out of 10, 10 being the least deprived) highlighting socio-economic challenges within the borough. This ranking considers various factors such as income, employment, health, education, and crime. However, Thurrock has a health index score of 99.9, reflecting strong overall health conditions among residents. This score is a composite measure that reflects various health-related aspects of the population, including physical well-being, lifestyle choices, and access to healthcare services. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) describe scores above 100 indicating better health, and below, worse health compared to 2015.

Thurrock is ethnically diverse, with a 77% White population, including 66.2% White British. The borough also has a significant Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean, or African community, representing 11.9% of residents. Additionally, 6.99% of the population identify as Asian, Asian British, or Asian Welsh, while 3.00% belong to Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups. Individuals from other ethnic groups make up 1.5% of the total population.

Thurrock is part of the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which focuses on improving healthcare services across the region. The local authority collaborates with healthcare providers, including Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, to address the healthcare needs of its population.

Politically, Thurrock local authority is Labour-led and operates under a council structure rather than a directly elected mayor. The council comprises 49 councillors, with the majority representing the Labour Party, alongside representation from the Conservative Party, Independent councillors, reform and other smaller groups.

Financial facts

• The Local Authority’s estimated total budget for 2023/24 was £261,981,000.00 Its actual spend for the year was £252,807,000.00, which was £9,174,000.00 less than estimated.  
• The local authority estimated it would spend £71,503,000.00 of its total budget on Adult Social Care in 2023/24. Its actual spend was £65,445,000.00, which is 25.89% of the total budget and £6,058,000.00 less than estimated.  
• For 2023/24, the local authority has raised the full ASC precept with a value of 2%.  
• Approximately 2635 people were accessing long-term Adult Social Care support, and approximately 455 people were accessing short-term Adult Social Care support in the 2023/24 period. Local authorities spend money on a range of adult social care services, including supporting individuals. No two care packages are the same and vary significantly in their intensity, duration, and cost.  

This data is reproduced at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care. It has not been factored into our assessment and is presented for information purposes only.