THURROCK Council leader John Kent has described the Thurrock MP, Jackie Doyle-Price as “desperate” after she criticised council plans for private housing health checks.
The MP spoke out after the Borough Council launched a scheme for private tenants to benefit from a ‘housing health check’, suggesting the authority should improve its own homes as well.
She said: “In particular we have a number of properties which are badly infected with mould. Some of it is due to poor installation of double glazing units which have caused a long term problem for the property. Some of it is due to poor contract management and a failure to ensure that works booked by contractors have been properly executed.
“The fact is that regardless of who your landlord is, if you are concerned about living conditions in your home, you should contact the Council’s environmental health team.
“When Thurrock Council can be confident it is doing the right thing by its own tenants, then it can lay down the law to everyone else. Not before.”
Thurrock Council leader Cllr John Kent has responded to the criticism.
He said: “I am afraid we’re going to have to get used to this as the General Election gets closer and the desperate MP lashes out.
“Thurrock Council has made no secret of the fact that there has been a real lack of investment in its housing stock, starting with the six years of Tory control from 2004. It has taken time and hard work to begin to put that under investment right. Perhaps the MP should remember that.
“When we took control in 2010 it became obvious there were major issues in housing. We had to do away with the dreadful Morrison contract, negotiated by the Tories, we had to find a director of housing who was able and willing to lead the Thurrock housing team out of the doldrums and turn it into an exciting forward looking department.
We did that.
“Over the past year Thurrock has launched an £80 million investment programme that will see each and every one of its 10,500 council homes refurbished to the highest standard; and I believe we are one of very few, if not the only council to specifically invest millions of pounds to combat the scourge that is damp and mould.
“In the last year we have seen more than 1,700 homes transformed as part of the Housing Transformation Programme, prevented more than 740 households becoming homeless; and lowered the overall annual average re-letting time for council properties by around two thirds.
We have also helped 107 tenants to downsize to more suitable and affordable homes.
I don’t think any other council could boast such a successful year – perhaps Jackie Doyle Price should check.
I would add that Thurrocks housing problems started long before the six years of Tory control in 2004.
Most of Thurrocks problems began decades ago…when this was a rock solid ‘my grandad voted Labour’ borough.
JDP is in trouble its not Labour the people will be voting for its UKIP.
And UKIP are giving her backside a dam good spanking and she’s not got anything in reply.
Looks like Thurrock will be UKIP.
I just hope that I will be someone who actually speaks for the electorate and not what their party instructs them to as JDP does.
Sorry, I should read they. Not a Freudian slip me thinks!
Its typical of Kent having a play ground tantrum when told to pull his socks up. He boasts of spending millions of pounds on the mould issue, let’s get this right, it is actually two million pounds, which is very little considering the amount of properties that are mould infested. I assume when he says the millions he is referring to the the monies for the Decent homes, could I also ask him to pull his socks up, as the two are of different funding. Again he boasts like his colleague Morris Cook that they are the only council addressing this problem, could I shamelessly take the credit for that and not yourself Mr Kent!! If you are of the opinion that the works carried out are of a good standard I suggest you ground yourself and listen to your Tenants. Your contempt shows not only for our MP but also to your residents.
As the mould Campaigner I agree with every word that Jackie Doyle-Price has said and I welcome them. His comments regarding being desperate which I find appalling can also apply to his Tenants. I would like to see you Man up Mr Kent and take the criticism like an adult and stop revealing to us all what a limited mind you posses.
Councillor John Kent is having a laugh isn’t he? Thurrock Council had to hand over tens of millions of pounds of tenants rent money to the National Government to hand out to other local authorities under the old Housing Revenue account system.
In 13 years of National Labour rule they failed to reform the system or promote the building of new Council homes. It was the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition Government that cut Local Authorities free of the shackles of the Housing Revenue Account system so they can now keep 100% of the rents collected and invest profits in repairs and new homes.
Strange Councillor John Kent mentions the poorly fitting windows. Would this have anything do do with the company that the previous Labour Council created to install double glazing in all the Council homes that then went bust under mysterious circumstances?
Snakebiteuk
I find it a bit rich of you accusing Kent of playground tantrums, the, Queen of playground tantrums is MP Jackie Doyle Price, surely you must have read her Twitter page and Facebook comments, hardly the norm for a serving member of Parliament, this woman is routinely abusive and even publicly abusive to members of our own group at Thurrock Council, and then tries to renege the next morning I assume after reflecting upon comments
I believe Kents comments were spot on, she does sound desperate and quite rightly so
Superman
My advise, If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
Superman
My advise, If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
My advice if the constituents can’t stand you get out of Thurrock and go back to Sheffield
P.S in the picture accompanying this story what one of the people as Jackie Doyle Price