Gravesham MP calls for return of Tilbury Ferry

The Ferry has been closed since March after Kent County Council and Thurrock Council struggled to renew the contract with the operator.

Transcript

00:00Months have passed since it last set sail, but the fight for the future of the Tilbury

00:05Ferry rages on.

00:08The service connecting Gravesend to Essex stopped operating earlier this year as Kent

00:14County Council and Thurrock Council struggled to secure a new contract with the operator.

00:21Now the new Member of Parliament for Gravesham has written to the Secretary of State for

00:26Transport calling on her to help pave a path forward.

00:31I think what we need to be doing in the future is about how we bring together businesses,

00:36other partners, other agencies that use the river, that work on the river, as well as

00:42councils, as well as other sectors.

00:45It's really about hooking into those other links so that we can all come together to

00:49find a solution which is a return of the Tilbury Ferry and this is a strong focus and I heard

00:54it loud and clear on the doorstep, this is what we need.

00:57Our businesses have suffered, our town centres have suffered.

00:59We really need this back to really take things forward.

01:02The Gravesend model centre has been on the high stream for six years, but with sales

01:08taking up to a 15% hit since the ferry's closure, they wonder how long they can roll the dice

01:16given their tight margins.

01:18We have noticed a drop in sales, we've noticed a drop in the actual people, because obviously

01:24the sales are one thing, but you get to know your customers and there's several customers

01:29who used to spend quite a lot of money who don't come over anymore, customers who just

01:33used to come in and buy one bit every now and again have not come over.

01:40If you look around the high street, the high street is really suffering.

01:43Zand and Mackenzie Care are another business who are thinking about relocating, with the

01:49ferry impacting their ability to recruit staff.

01:54They say footfall has massively changed since the ferry ceased operating in July.

02:01The whole point of us is that we're a community service.

02:04It's very difficult when the amount of community is minimalised because of again the lack of

02:09traffic walking up and down.

02:10If it was still available we would have more people walking past, we would be able to engage

02:15within the community a little bit more.

02:17We are actually looking to potentially move because of it, because again being a community

02:23based business it's very difficult when the community are unable to walk past your office.

02:29Both Thoracat and Kane County Council say they have worked hard to try and secure an

02:35extension to the contract and are still trying to secure a sustainable long term solution

02:43for the ferry.

02:44The Department of Transport has been reached for comment.

02:47The end of July will mark four months without the ferry.

02:51The question on the minds of businesses here, how much longer can they go on?

02:56Oliver leads the sacks for KNTV in Gravesend.