In the Gazette’s new general election year feature, we ask the main contenders to give their views on a local hot topic... this week, how do you see the future of growing creative industries in Purfleet?

Considering the proposed huge development of Purfleet, including film studios and new homes, could the town become a new centre for the creative industries? How do you see its future panning out?

 

MP JACKIE DOYLE-PRICE - CONSERVATIVE

THERE is an emerging creative industries cluster in Purfleet. The arrival of the Royal Opera House has created an opportunity.

One of my earliest interventions as MP was with the Skills Funding Agency to guarantee the funding for the Backstage Centre when it looked precarious.

But Purfleet is so much more.

There is the port, through which cars manufactured in the UK are exported to the continent. There are also manufacturing and logistics businesses. And there is the local community.

Purfleet is my home. I and fellow residents have been promised regeneration for a number of years. A community which is less than one hour from central London and on the river should be an attractive proposition for investment. The land is available, the plans are done, so why don’t we just get on with it. Less talk, more action!

 

TIM AKER - UKIP candidate

WHILE it is always good to see the creative industries flourish, the real issue people in Purfleet raise with me time and again is the huge problem with flytipping. That is what they want politicians to focus on – getting their hands dirty and fixing this mess.

The recent one-mile-long stretch of garbage is a shocking legacy of how our area has been forgotten. Swift action must be taken against those who trash our neighbourhood.

It was my motion in Thurrock Council that ensured weekly bin collections were maintained. This is the type of basic, fundamental service that Thurrock taxpayers want and expect. It is time the cleaning of our borough was put higher up the agenda. I was born in this borough and together we can get the change we want to make Thurrock great again.

 

POLLY BILLINGTON - LABOUR candidate

THIS is great news for Purfleet and great news for Thurrock! This flagship scheme will build 3,000 homes and turn the area into a cultural hub for the Thames Gateway.

As our community grows, the Government must provide the extra school and healthcare facilities residents will need.

We must make sure that new homes in Purfleet are affordable and available for people in Thurrock to buy. We must also make sure local people get a fair chance to apply for the jobs created and that these are well paid and not zero hours.

On the whole, this is the sort of regeneration Purfleet needs.

It’s great the plans include a new station for the town and community facilities for the residents living there already. A world-class television and film studio will be transformational, changing perceptions of Thurrock and bringing jobs.