CONCERNS that a number of housing offices in the borough could close have been raised by both Tory councillors and members of the public.
Tory leader, cllr Phil Anderson raised the question asking:
“Does the portfolio holder intend to close the Corringham and Purfleet housing offices and what measures has she put in place to ensure that residents including elderly and vulnerable people can continue to access the full range of council services which they current go to the housing office for?”
Portfolio holder, cllr Val Morris-Cook explained that the matter had gone out to consultation.
Cllr Morris-Cook said: “We had just one response from Purfleet. We will be taking it forward to scrutiny, then to cabinet, later this year.”
The concerns are that Thurrock will follow areas such as Harlow, that closed all their housing offices many years ago and concentrated on one office in the civic offices.
Privately, officers are concerned about job losses as well as the idea that whether housing issues can be effectively dealt with in libraries or community hubs.
I suppose its another way for the portfolio holder to withdraw the public’s right to phone for housing repairs and to talk to somebody directly about their problems, many elderly and disabled people, use the facilities at the local housing offices, it will mean along trip to the town hall in Grays, if they withdraw these local housing offices, if a resident hasn’t a phone then they will be unable to get help if a problem arises in their homes.
Think again its about time you spent more money on the council homes, bringing them up to good safety standards, it is taking months for the TBC to recoginise that they have a major problem from, Black Mould a No.1 Hazard to health, also there main provider for housing repairs Morrison’s is still floundering about, trying to cope with housing repairs, they are now desperately seeking help from private contractors, to help them with there very long backlog of work to do on council properties, even the new telephone system isnt coping with the council tenants calls for help with repairs, only to be told that, there call means alot to the council, but if its an emergency, and the contractor doesnt think that it is, then the council is going to FINE, the resident , and that’s at the start of the conversation with a recorded voice, that continues to annoy the caller throughout the call, we all know its the councils way of getting rid of the caller quickly, the council even informs Morrison’s how much they can spend on each call out it seems that the TBC is tying both of Morrison’s hands behind there back, then they want to cut off our only link we have via our local housing offices, whats next I don’t see the Labour Councillors taking a drop in their allowances, which they dont really deserve as they dont do anything to get them.
I’m waiting for Val, I’m in it for me and stuff the public, Morris to make her usual comment on this. It’s all the nasty evil Tories fault, they made them do it.