Thurrock’s position adjacent to Greater London is both a blessing and a curse.

It is a blessing in the sense that the connections are good for our local economy.

But it is a curse as the over-mighty capital dominates the national economy. Being blunt, there is an arrogance on the part of London that needs to be addressed.

For example, while the docks have left London, they have moved east. Thurrock is the home of the Port of London, the second largest port on the country. It has been a revelation to many that this is the case.

There are many people who think the world ends at the M25. Indeed, I have heard it said that there is nothing beyond Rainham Marshes. It is, therefore, important that as we rebalance the economy we empower those areas outside London to be able to punch their weight.

Local government areas are being encouraged to come together and the Government will give them extra powers. This is happening in Manchester already.

Essex County Council is proposing a new mayor of Essex to take advantage of these moves.

However, it is quite clear to me there is a much stronger shared agenda of the south Essex authorities, from Thurrock to Southend. We are impacted more by decisions taken in London than in Chelmsford.

So, a mayor of Essex is a non-starter for me. I would encourage Thurrock to continue its engagement with Southend and to be much more ambitious. And we need to be a lot more assertive with the Greater London Authority. There will be a new Mayor of London next May. We need to point out that its actions, or lack of them, do impact beyond the Greater London boundary.

Will it take a mayor of South Essex to do it? Maybe.