THE vast majority of calls to Thurrock Council’s housing repairs service are from tenants wanting to know where they are in the queue or when the work will start.
Members of the council’s Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee were told on Wednesday (18 June) that later this year tenants will be able to check online.
It is all part of the council’s plan to make the system more friendly for tenants, easier for council staff to use and quicker for all.
Cllr Lynn Worrall, the housing portfolio holder who was at the meeting, said afterwards: “This should make the lives of our tenants and our staff a lot easier.
“At the moment tenants have to phone up and ask then staff have to delve through the systems to find the answer. Once is the new system is up and running, tenants will be able to find out where their repair is in the queue– any time of the day or night – and staff can concentrate on their job.
“Although this is the headline-grabbing part, there’s loads of other stuff going on too – for example the web-based service will allow us to track and analyse trends easily, we’ll be able to spot where potential difficulties are starting to occur and act before they become major problems.”
She added: “Other things we’re planning include using modern technology – infra-red heating – to help combat damp and mould – getting more people on programmes for training and job creation, and creating apprenticeships for local people too.”
