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The Thames Gateway
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The Wider Context 
Challenge and OpportunityThe Changing Face of North Kent
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With a population of half a million people and a workforce of over a
quarter of a million, Thames Gateway Kent is an ethnically and socially
diverse sub-region with areas of prosperity, but also with some of the
most deprived localities in the South East.
An Industrial Legacy
A generation ago, the decline and closure of many staple industries left
a legacy of unemployment, a damaged environment, worn out and
inadequate infrastructure, below-average educational attainment and
under-investment in skills - an area with few expectations.
By the turn of the century, the economy had recovered, grown and
diversified, but the underlying legacies were still evident.
Unemployment, though greatly reduced, remained above the regional
average, and much of the area’s growth had been in consumption related sectors such as logistics and retail, rather than in ‘knowledge’ industries with their potential for sustained high value-added growth.
With fewer jobs in wealth-creating industries than elsewhere in the
South East, many people commute to London and elsewhere, while
fewer graduates and other skilled people stay within the area.
As a result, like the Gateway as a whole, in 2001 North Kent still
lagged behind London and the South East on many key indicators of
economic and social well-being.
A Place of Opportunities
But North Kent is also a place of huge potential.
With superb assets, a great location and tremendous opportunities,
it is well-placed to transform past legacies.
Some of the Challenges –
quarter of a million, Thames Gateway Kent is an ethnically and socially
diverse sub-region with areas of prosperity, but also with some of the
most deprived localities in the South East.
An Industrial Legacy
A generation ago, the decline and closure of many staple industries left
a legacy of unemployment, a damaged environment, worn out and
inadequate infrastructure, below-average educational attainment and
under-investment in skills - an area with few expectations.
By the turn of the century, the economy had recovered, grown and
diversified, but the underlying legacies were still evident.
Unemployment, though greatly reduced, remained above the regional
average, and much of the area’s growth had been in consumption related sectors such as logistics and retail, rather than in ‘knowledge’ industries with their potential for sustained high value-added growth.
With fewer jobs in wealth-creating industries than elsewhere in the
South East, many people commute to London and elsewhere, while
fewer graduates and other skilled people stay within the area.
As a result, like the Gateway as a whole, in 2001 North Kent still
lagged behind London and the South East on many key indicators of
economic and social well-being.
A Place of Opportunities
But North Kent is also a place of huge potential.
With superb assets, a great location and tremendous opportunities,
it is well-placed to transform past legacies.
Some of the Challenges –
- 17% of people have a degree, compared with 28% in the South East region
- 16% of private sector jobs are in knowledge-based industries compared with 24% in the South East region
- earnings are 8% below the South East average.
- extensive brownfield land
- excellent location with high-speed links to London and Europe
- magnificent riverside locations, countryside and heritage assets
- innovative university, science and enterprise initiatives.
