Losing Kent to Essex ferry link 'a disaster', says new report
The Gravesend to Tilbury service is set to shut at the end of this month
The “disastrous” impact of the loss of a long-running ferry service has been laid bare in a report into its viability.
Kent County Council (KCC), which commissioned the public consultation study, received more than 1,700 responses – many pleading for the Gravesend to Tilbury crossing to be saved.
For more than 20 years, the service was co-funded by KCC and Thurrock Council but its future was cast in doubt in the face of serious financial pressures at both authorities.
Last week, the operator Jetstream Tours declared the ferry would cease running at the end of March.
Thurrock had already pulled funding and KCC then expressed concerns it could no longer afford the £200,000 subsidy.
But those respondents to the survey, launched in January, painted a picture of hardship, disruption and inconvenience its loss would bring.
A user declared: “It would be a total disaster for me. I travelled by ferry for more than 10 years for work, I have no other ways of getting to the other side of the river.”
Another wrote: “f the county council is required to provide this public service requirement, the alternative to the ferry might require a service using four buses.
“At a rate of £500 to £1,000 per bus per day, an alternative bus service might cost £1,000,000 per year. The total ferry subsidy has been quoted as being about £200,000. Consequently, the ferry service appears to provide excellent value for money.”
A respondent said: “Travelling to work would be so much more difficult, expensive and time consuming. The Dartford Crossing always has delays so travelling times would increase significantly. This, in turn, would lead to higher stress levels and have an adverse effect on people’s mental health.”
The survey reported 893 responses to the questionnaire and another 847 from residents, with 58% saying they were Kent-based.
More than 70% of the respondents said they were fare-payers on the service.
Users included school children, dockers, shoppers, tourists and those needing medical treatment.
Should the service be halted, more than a third (35%) said they would have to drive to their destination and 23% would have to source a form of public transport.
The service has been running every half an hour, five days a week between 5.40am and 7pm, carrying more than 100,000 passenger journeys a year.
In a statement, Jetstream Tours said: “Following a second extension to our existing contract, in November 2023, we became aware of funding issues which started through the withdrawal of funding from Thurrock Council.
“We have maintained positive talks solely with Kent County Council throughout this period whilst a consultation period was entered.
“Regrettably due to ongoing concerns and uncertainties presented around future funding and an abandoned procurement process by Kent County council for longer-term prospects, Jetstream Tours has been unable to enter into negotiations with the council.”
Short-term extensions to the existing contract are not “tenable for our business”, said the company.
The statement added: “We feel it ultimately would lead to further protracted job insecurities and have an adverse effect on our ability to adequately employ and ensure continuity of a regular and reliable ferry service.”
The service will cease running on March 31.
Gravesham Council leader Cllr John Burder (Lab) said: “Economically, the ferry has enabled port workers and seafarers to live in Gravesend and work in Tilbury Docks.
“Socially it linked the two communities of Tilbury and Gravesend together with a common focus on the River Thames.
“More than 107,000 trips are made each year with revenue covering more than 50% of the costs.”