THURROCK Council staff are among the most hard-working in the UK.

A new survey, produced with data from the Office for National Statistics with the help of global fintech group Plus500, looked at the hours worked by UK employees in every local authority.  

It found that Mid Suffolk is the UK's hardest-working area, containing towns like Stowmarket, Needham Market, and Eye. The latest 2023 data showed that the average paid hours worked for employees based in the Suffolk district were 41.8, the most of any UK area.  

Thurrock workers came out as the fifth most-hard-working. The study found that employees worked an average of 41.1 paid hours a week.  

With approximately 2,500 staff, Thurrock Council is one of the biggest employers in the borough and more than 60 per cent ts employees live and work within its borders, serving around 174,000 residents, more thatn 66,000 households and more than 5,000 businesses. It provides 700 services to residents and businesses every day. These include social care, refuse collections, public health, parks and open spaces, planning, school places, highways, parking, housing, economic growth and business support.

Council leader John Kent responded to today's survey by saying: "It's tempting to be cynical about surveys like this – and, often, they are dreamed up by research companies trying to make work for themselves, but this one tells us something that is worth noting.

"I am sure that many residents will scoff at the notion that Thurrock Council staff are hard-working - and I am sure that there will be some instances where such a thought might be justified.

"But I see, at first hand, day in and day out the hard work and dedication of so many of the men and women who work for Thurrock Council – those who empty our bins, sweep our streets, make sure our vulnerable youngsters and older folk are kept safe as well as those who work behind the scenes to ensure we keep going in these exceptionally tough times.

One might take a survey like this with a pinch of salt, but to every one of those council workers doing their best in the most difficult of circumstances, where many of them may still fear for their jobs because of the current financial pressures, I want to use the survey as an opportunity to say 'thank-you'."