THE TWO Conservative councillors for Ockendon have continued to press the council for better housing stock in their ward.
Cllr Barry Johnson rose on the floor of the council chamber last week to make the point as part of the council budget debate.
Whilst outside the chamber, cllr Lynn Carr has continued to fight the corner for many distressed residents who appear to have some horrendous housing problems in the ward.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We live in a block of flats and have continuously every week contacted Thurrock Council regarding the drains which are in our communal gardens .
“They are constantly over flowing and are blocked which means they are pumping raw sewage everywhere . Not only is the smell stomach churning it means our children are unable to go out and play and we are not able to have any windows open.
“The council send round people who suck the drains out but they have confirmed it’s the pipes that are the problem and the Council have refused to pay to have the work done.
“I can’t help but think they are putting young families in these flats with children yet not maintaining them to the level they should be.”
Its good to see that the ockendon councillors are still fighting for better housing for their tenants, good for them. Keep up the good work.
Well done to the 2 Ockendon councillors, its a shame that none of the other councillors are speaking up about the bad work that the council builders are doing. My daughters house in Tilbury was flooded twice recently by the councils builders installing the new kitchen and bathroom, what is even worse is that the workers spoke almost no English so were no help and didn’t seem to care.
I concur with what Blackshots53 has said, a friend of mine who lives on the flowers estate in ockendon(as do I) had workers out a week ago to have repairs done and none of the workers spoke english and proceeded to do more damage to the property- drilling right through walls and causing leaks where there were none before.Its about time the council made sure that all workmen that are sent out can speak english so that at least residents can communicate adequately with them and the workers can understand what they are meant to be doing!!
These 2 councillors are working tirelessly for us the tenants and seem to be hitting their heads against a brick wall most of the time.What would help is that if when the properties become void that if a surveyor went over each property with a finetooth comb and all repairs were done BEFORE being re let.in the article above this Cllr Val Morris-Cook, cabinet member for housing, said: “Thurrock Council tenants deserve the best that social housing has to offer. The Transforming Homes programme is one of the most ambitious council housing renovation schemes anywhere in England. Housing can play a vital role in people’s health and wellbeing as well as improving their daily lives. The work now underway is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a real difference for thousands of people.”
However homes with urgent problems, such as damp and mould, can be assessed and works done before their scheduled place in the timetable if thought necessary. This is part of the programme’s outcomes-focussed approach aimed at improving outcomes for local residents.”
Well if Thurrock tenants deserve the best that social housing can offer then surely they would be doing far more than they currently are to get their housing stock in a fit state.Yes they have this housing programme going on but if you were to contact either councillor they will be able to tell you about peoples housing problems that you just wouldnt believe!!I know i for one will be supporting them in the local elections as they really do care about their constituents, something i cannot say for the current council in power i’m afraid
Stephanie, The quality of the building work done in my daughters house is a disgrace, it is supposed to be one of the council’s new Beyond Decency kitchens and bathrooms but it is more like Beyond a Joke. they are supposed to hide the cables in the wall but have just stuck on more plastic tubing, they done no plastering either. My niece had her council kitchen upgraded 2 years ago in Stanford le hope and it was so much better they hid all the wires, plastered the entire kitchen it looked lovely and they done it in half the time it took to mess my daughters house up. The people responsible at Thurrock council should be ashamed of themselves.
Blackshots53 has your daughter tried her local councillor? I would suggest emailing both Barbara Brownlea (director of housing) and councillor Val Morris-Cook and getting them both to visit her house so that they may see the mess that has been made.Or even her MP, as long as she asks a question of her mp they have to reply to her regarding it.When Andrew Mackinley was our MP he helped me fight the council to get my son into a special needs school that was right for him,and we won.
I fully agree with you that they should be ashamed with themselves,one of the reasons the repairs at my house went without being done is that they were ordered for another number in the street and not my number!!it amazes me that that could happen at all let alone go unnoticed!!If i could move away from thurrock,trust me i WOULD.I do hope your daughter gets some satisfaction with her complaint, there is always the ombudsman by the way and details are on the council website for them.
This is actually my property in the post as well as being told my kitchen is unsafe I need new windows and bathroom I also have damp and mould and asbestos in my bathroom . It’s a disgrace Thank god for cllr lynn carr and cllr Barry Johnson who are fighting for me and my.children