A WORKING group has been set up by Thurrock Council to consider how the currently defunct Tilbury to Gravesend ferry route might be brought back into operation.

The service ceased operating in March 2024 after Thurrock Council withdrew its contribution to funding, with its partner Kent County Council later saying it couldn't fund the route alone.

At the last meeting of Thurrock Council's Place overview and scrutiny committee, members backed plans for a ten-week task and finish group to investigate all options for restoring the ferry. The group will report its findings in spring 2026.

The committee agreed the ferry was "an important issue for residents" and stressed the need for "clear and tangible outputs" from the review. The group will work closely with council officers and external stakeholders, including Kent County Council and the Thames Estuary Growth Board.

There has been a recent focus on the return of the ferry service in conjunction with the building of a new pontoon at the Port of Tilbury's cruise terminal site.

Interim director Paul Crick told the committee in December last year that a commercial model is the only viable option for the ferry's return.

He said: "Since JetStream finished, we've been working with the Thames Estuary Growth Board to see what we can do to reinstate the ferry because there is a lot of public demand for it to come back.

"We've always been clear that there's no public funding towards it. It needs to run on a commercial basis."

Last year, Independent councillor Roy Jones tabled a motion urging Thurrock Council to work with central government and Kent County Council to restore the "vital historic Thames River crossing." Earlier this year he again pressed the council to take pro-active action and called for a long-term plan and funding from community or other sources.

The ferry's future remains uncertain, but councillors on the Place O&S committee, which is now chaired by Cllr Jones, say they hope the new group will provide a roadmap for its return.

Related stories:-

MP's petition: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/local-mps-petition-to-bring-back-tilbury-ferry-reaches-1000-signatures-263019

Government cash can't be used: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/government-cash-cant-be-used-to-restore-tilbury-ferry-becasue-it-does-fit-public-transport-criteria-247342

MPS call for toll money to be used to subsidise ferry: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/local-mps-call-on-government-to-commit-to-using-projected-toll-revenue-from-lower-thames-crossing-to-fund-tilbury-ferry-270744

Challenge to council over its role in pontoon application: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/role-of-senior-council-officer-and-inaccuate-information-given-to-planning-committee-members-over-tilbury-pontoon-is-challenged-by-town-forum-chairman-275914