George Coxshall: In Thurrock, backing home ownership is a core Conservative message

Cllr George Coxshall is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Thurrock Council.

When people think of Thurrock today, they often associate it with a council under intervention and facing immense financial pressures— a textbook example of a failure to manage public money.

While work is ongoing to deliver the change Thurrock Council needs, the reality is that the authority will cease to exist beyond 2028. With Essex included in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme, a Mayoral Combined Authority will be established, and crucially, new unitary authorities will be created.

There’s no doubt that a directly elected Mayor of Essex could unlock the levers of growth in Thurrock and across the county. We are home to the Thames Freeport, including the Port of Tilbury and London Gateway, all of which positions us as a critical economic hub.

To fully capitalise on those opportunities, we need a framework that encourages investment, accelerates development, and joins up infrastructure and skills. That’s what a Mayor can help deliver.

While we don’t yet know exactly what powers a Mayor of Essex will hold, two stand out as essential for driving long-term change:

Spatial Planning

At 25, I don’t see myself getting on the housing ladder before I am into my thirties – and I am not alone. A generation is being locked out of home ownership. As Conservatives, our core principles should be supporting aspiration and unlocking the dream of owning your own home – and not just for those with access to the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad”. This isn’t about numbers, but opportunity. Planning at times has become politicised to the point of paralysis. NIMBYism dominates, and the loudest voices too often drown out the needs of young families, renters, and first-time buyers. The result? A generation under 40 excluded from the dream of owning their own home.

A Mayor won’t be able to dictate where and what gets built. However, they can establish a strategic spatial framework that prioritises housing delivery, infrastructure investment, and sustainable communities.

South Essex is a clear example of lost opportunity – no authority in the area has an updated adopted Local Plan, or in turn, a vision. We cannot secure adequate infrastructure or better transport links as we cannot agree on joined-up delivery of large-scale development. A Mayor could finally break this deadlock.

Health

As a former Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, I’ve seen first-hand the frustrations of working with the NHS, particularly the ICB. Too often, decision-making is slow, siloed, and detached from local authority priorities.

Much is being made of the ‘Greater Manchester model’ – where the Mayor plays a central role in health integration. But we need to be realistic. That model took years to build and relied on strong relationships, not just structures.

That said, with the Government currently reviewing ICB governance, we have a real opportunity to create accountability. Why not give the Mayor a formal role – perhaps even as Chair of the ICB? This would ensure a clearer voice for local priorities, better alignment between health and social care, and ultimately, better services for residents.

I’ve long supported local government reorganisation. Fewer, stronger councils mean better public services, lower costs to the taxpayer, and more resilient leadership. The fact is, the current system is no longer fit for purpose.

Let’s be honest: Thurrock is simply too small to operate as a standalone unitary authority. Its recent failures have only highlighted that uncomfortable truth. However, proposals currently being floated for five new unitary authorities in Essex risk repeating the same mistakes – creating councils that are still too small to handle major pressures, especially around social care and temporary accommodation.

We cannot afford to be timid. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape how local services are delivered. We should be bold.

My preferred model would create three new unitary authorities, including a South Essex authority uniting Thurrock, Basildon, Castle Point, Rochford, and Southend-on-Sea. With shared estuary identity, major port infrastructure, and strong transport links, South Essex could become a genuine economic powerhouse on the Thames Estuary.

Although elections are scheduled for next year, there’s no guarantee they will proceed. I did not support the cancellation of this year’s elections, and I see no justification for further delay.

If we end up postponing again and hold elections in 2027 – alongside shadow elections for a new authority – we will have created an absurd situation. It only reinforces how short-sighted the decision to cancel this year’s elections was. And it raises a worrying question: will Thurrock Council ever hold elections again?

As Conservatives, we need to be bold in our convictions and not be scared to say what is right. We should be unashamedly pro-growth, low tax and importantly the Party of home ownership – whether that is building the homes we need or protecting the Right to Buy.

The Conservative Party will not win trying to be ‘Reform-lite’ while trying to play to the gallery, particularly on immigration. Thurrock was UKIP’s top target in 2015. Those of us who campaigned and cut our teeth here learned a vital lesson: you can’t out-UKIP UKIP. Many seem to have forgotten that lesson.

We need to be confident in our own brand of conservatism. We shouldn’t chase after anyone else. We lead – or we lose.

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