A FIVE year-plan aiming to help Thurrock recover from the impact of Covid-19 has been revealed by the council as new data shows unemployment in the borough has more than doubled since March.

One result could be to give a commitment to ensuring council contracts are awarded to local firms.

The pandemic has impacted almost every part of Thurrock's economy and caused the number of people claiming unemployment benefits to jump from around 3,500 in March to more than 7,600 in June.

The hardest hit has been young people, according to a new report published by Thurrock Council.

It goes on to explain that "such a shock to the economy requires a different approach to economic development" including "decisive action" to make best use of the council's resources to "shore up the economy, protect business, key sectors and jobs in the short term".

It cautions that "there are no easy answers" and regardless of what the council does, "it won't be possible to save every job and every business".

The council has produced a five-year economic recovery plan which explains how over the next six months the authority will focus on "rescue and recovery".

This has already included paying out £21.7million in grants to more than 1,700 business, deferral of rental payments on council owned commercial properties and supported the reopening of the High Street, including installing signs and queuing systems.

Going forward the council says it aims to put a bigger emphasis on promoting jobs, encourage businesses to buy and recruit locally and boost its "economic intelligence" so that it can monitor and address problems as early as possible.

In the longer term the report makes the suggestion that the Conservative administration should take inspiration from Labour-led councils in the north.

One example cited in the report is an attempt to emulate the financial management of Preston Council. Through a strategy that meant picking contractors not just on financial value but on what the companies can offer the area, local companies have been able to compete for construction contracts by providing training to local apprentices, or by employing local tradesmen.

For Preston this has resulted in council spending on local contracts to shoot up from £38 million in 2012/13 to £112 million in 2016/17. A similar approach by the Labour-led Manchester City Council has seen the council's use of local companies jump from around 50 per cent in 2008/9 to 75per cent in 2015/16 – a financial boost of £350million.

Beyond this, the report fails to give any concrete details on exactly what else it will do. It claims it wants to "explore" working with local businesses for jobs with prospects for local people and it will help "nurture" those businesses.

It also wants to promote Thurrock as a place to invest but these ideas are not accompanied with any detail on exactly what this means for residents.

The detail is expected to emerge through a series of round table discussions which will be held through the autumn. The council's aim is to have a full plan in place by January 2021.