9 September 2010 Last updated at 06:58 ET

Business flourishes in Uttlesford

Uttlesford district includes the town of Saffron Walden

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Firms in the Uttlesford district of Essex, which include Stansted Airport, are booming, according to a study.

The area also has high numbers of self-employed people, compared to the rest of the east of England.

The information emerged from a BBC-commissioned survey by Experian, which also found Castle Point has the 10th highest proportion of self-employed workers of anywhere in England.

Thurrock has few "resilient" firms, according to the research.

These include agriculture, banking and insurance businesses.

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The district also has high numbers of employees in jobs vulnerable to economic downturns - such as engineering, construction and chemical industries, says the Experian research.

But Thurrock has also seen the highest number of new businesses start up since 2008 in the east of England.

The survey also found that businesses in Harlow are the second slowest in England at paying their bills promptly.

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Jim Ketteridge, leader of Uttlesford District Council, said the council was committed to providing "an environment where businesses can flourish".

But he added that they still wanted to keep the character of the area.

"We also make sure that Uttlesford is a place people want to live in and visit," he said.

Mr Ketteridge said the area did not have a large reliance on the public sector and with "an awful lot of small business and self-employed people" should be in a good position to cope with government cuts.

BBC Radio Essex will be broadcasting a debate on the State of the Region at 0900 BST on Friday.