THURROCK Council may have to consider selling off 10,000 council homes to avoid possible bankruptcy after years of financial mismanagement.
Shocked councillors were told everything was being considered, including selling housing stock, which currently brings in £50million a year in revenue for the council.
Council leader Mark Coxshall made the admission after being grilled by Lynn Worral, Labour councillor for Grays, at Wednesday’s council meeting.
Ms Worral asked the leader to expand on a radio interview in which Mr Coxshall said nothing was off the table, including the sale of council assets.
She said: “Our 10,000 council homes are one of the most valuable assets that we have here in Thurrock. They bring an income of about £50million to the Housing Revenue Account. Many of the portfolios benefit from the income.
“Can you give assurances and comfort to the 10,000 tenants living in our council homes that their homes will not be on the table as part of the asset sales to reduce the catastrophic debt that this council has now found itself in?”
Mr Coxshall said that he couldn’t “at this stage” before repeating: “Everything is on the table.”
Visibly shaken Ms Worral said: “I wish the cabinet would have asked a few more questions about where our money was going. We got here because nobody went deep enough and I’m so angry and 10,000 residents are going to be angry that they could end up with a housing association running our houses.
“I could cry for those residents. I really could. How are you going to make sure that you dig us out of this mess that you lot got us into and you save our homes
Mr Coxshall said he took responsibility for residents who might be affected and added there would be no “fire sale”.
Luke Spillman, councillor responsible for housing, attempted to reassure councillors, saying there had been “no discussions” regarding the sale of council homes so far.
He said: “While everything is on the table there are no active discussions. No discussions with officers or commissioners.
A Government appointed commissioner is overseeing the authority in the aftermath of millions of pounds lost in ill-judged investments in solar energy.
John Kent, leader of the Labour group asked Mr Coxshall if he could rule out the council declaring itself bankrupt.
Mr Coxshall said it wasn’t “his decision to make”.
What an absolute mess.. shocking.. the poorest in Thurrock, those already homeless and waiting for years to live in a council property are paying for the total incompetence of this tory run council. I’m guessing this meeting was held in the 10 million pound plus council offices that was built while this financial shambles was unfolding.. its a sick joke.
What I find most difficult to understand, is how w public body, can refuse over a number of years to acceed to requests for freeedom of information, from both individual councillors , the media, such as Neil speight of the ex Thurrock enquirer and more recently the Thurrock nub news, numerous people , including myself, who have posted on Facebook and other platforms asking for information on the rumours going around for at least the past 4 years, that this project was seriously flawed, and open to criminal intent, yet we have been met with a few
What I find most difficult to understand, is how w public body, can refuse over a number of years to acceed to requests for freeedom of information, from both individual councillors , the media, such as Neil speight of the ex Thurrock enquirer and more recently the Thurrock nub news, numerous people , including myself, who have posted on Facebook and other platforms asking for information on the rumours going around for at least the past 4 years, that this project was seriously flawed, and open to criminal intent, yet we have been met with a wall of silence, by unelected officers of this corrupt council, and when I say corrupt, I do not just mean fraudulently hiding the facts, I also mean not asking the question that councillors needed to be debating in chamber, and lastly if there is fraud, have Essex police been involved in these enquiries, because at the end of the day this is our money.
Make those incompetent councillors sell their own homes first
Legal corruption and theft to say the very least sack them all. Close their offices. Take control away from Thurrock Council NOW