Sue Houghton

Basildon Borough Council

Basildon borough is situated in South Essex, the prime commuter belt of the East of England. • By car or train it is 35 minutes from central London; • served by major road and rail connections to the whole country; • easy to access three London airports within 40 minutes - a wealth of destinations on your doorstep; • and close to major international business and commercial centres, including the DP World London Gateway Port – just eight miles away. The borough comprises five town centres – Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea, Wickford and Billericay, each with their own characters and charm. Basildon has the largest economy in Essex hosting 7,000 enterprises and providing access to over 8,000 workplaces. The borough is filled with thriving businesses, providing over 82,000 jobs, with start-ups increasing faster than anywhere else in Essex. The A127 corridor with Basildon is the largest employment area along the Thames outside London, generating more than 40,000 of the borough's jobs. The borough has a long history of being the UK's home of advanced engineering, technology, and quality manufacturing. Companies such as Ford Motor Company, New Holland Agriculture, Leonardo and Konica Minolta continue to bolster this reputation, with ongoing investment and international development. For leisure and health - the Basildon Sporting Village is one of the leading leisure and sports centres in South Essex. The Sporting Village offers a 50m swimming pool, a center of excellence for gymnastics, an 8-court sports hall, 100 station gym, two group exercise studios, an indoor climbing wall, an athletics stadium and outdoor pitches. Other leisure and recreational activities include the Towngate Theatre, diverse shopping parades at each town centre, and the Eastgate Centre hosting high street stores at Basildon. There are also a wide range of restaurants and traditional pubs across the borough.