THE shortage of social housing in Thurrock has been highlighted and compared to the amount of money the borough council has received in Section 106 payments over the last five years.

A freedom of information request has revealed that on 1 July there are 7,155 families and single people on the council's waiting list, though the council adds that it does not know how many people in the borough are also homeless.

The council has been criticised for its lack of commitment to providing social housing and selling off land that it owns and could build on.

One of the latest sales was a patch of land in argent Street in Grays which local councillors identified as ideal for social housing development, but it was sold off for £510,000, which critics say is well short of its true value.

The sale prompted local ward councillors Martin Kerin, Jane Pothecary and Tony Fish to issue a joint statement saying: "With the housing waiting list showing no signs of falling, Thurrock is in desperate need of new, high-quality housing stock. This site, which is in the vicinity of the successful Echoes and Alma Court developments, would have been perfect for this.

"Ultimately, this Tory Administration need to know that the assets they manage belong to the people of Thurrock.

"They should be utilising sites like the one they just sold. Our residents in Grays Riverside deserve better."

One of the reasons given by the council for the land sale is the urgent need to raise funds because of budget shortages, but its critics have pointed out that over the past five years just short of £25 million has been paid to the council in Section 108 payments by developers. That is money that is supposed to be utilised for the benefit of local communities and the provision of additional services and facilities across local communities.

That includes the provision of new social housing and in some instances there have been specific directives in the granting of planning permission that 106 payments be used to build new council homes.

Yet over the same period of time the council has created only a couple of hundred new homes at most.

In 2020 it built 60, including comprising 31 at Claudian Way in Chadwell and 29 at Alma Court in Grays, which almost ironically, sits opposite the land the council have just sold.

When the final house at Claudian Way was occupied, then housing portfolio holder Cllr Barry Johnson said: "Everyone should have access to a good quality home. We are committed to investing in new council homes for our residents that are both a high standard and affordable to those who are eligible."