Key facts

• Companies: The area is a magnet for financial services headquarters such as Vanquis Bank and Lloyds of London at Chatham Maritime. It has an established financial and business services base chosen by leading companies such as Royal Bank of Scotland.
• Established cluster: Thames Gateway Kent is particularly attractive to back office and call centre operations in the financial services sector. The financial capital of the world is on the doorstep. The City (St Pancras) is only 17 minutes away from North Kent and Canary Wharf (Stratford) only 11 minutes away. The excellent links to central London make it an ideal location for companies involved with the financial services industry.
• Business economy: The area has highly competitive operating costs: up to 25% lower than London even with Thames Gateway Kent’s close proximity to the capital. Plus, there are significant commercial developments under way with space to grow. Purpose-built offices are readily available to service growing demand in this sector.
• European hub: Ebbsfleet International station has high speed links to Europe with travel times to Paris only 2h 5 minutes and Brussels only 1h 41 minutes.
• Workforce: With an advanced infrastructure the area has a significant talent pool of 20,000, currently living in Kent but commuting to the City of London.