LEADERS of Thurrock Council say a new 'Housing Improvement Action Plan' will help council tenants have a louder voice in how the service is run and give councillors more oversight into how the service works and improves.

And an addtional Housing 'solutions' plan has also been approved.

The plans were approved by members of the Labour-run cabinet yesterday ( Wednesday 18 February, and follow the Local Government Association's Social Housing Peer Challenge and an external review of its 30‑year Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan took place at the end of last year. The peer report was created by senior officers and councillors from other authorities.

Their review delivered a damning indictment on the housing service. While it recognised the dedication of housing staff and some progress made, it highlighted the need to strengthen governance, assurance and scrutiny as well as clarifying and making more consistent the roles of councillors, tenants and officers.

The Housing Improvement Action Plan sets out to address the review's concerns.

It recommends creating an independently chaired Housing Improvement Board and which will include local tenants and housing experts, to monitor council housing standards and improvements in the borough which will regularly report to councillors on Cabinet and the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The council says the plan will help ensure the council meets the Regulator of Social Housing's four new Consumer Standards for social landlords: Safety and Quality, Transparency and Accountability, and Neighbourhood and Community, and Tenancy.

Cllr Mark Hooper, cabinet member for health and well-being and social housing, said: "This action plan serves as our roadmap for change and most importantly, it give tenants, independent experts and elected members a powerful voice to make sure that milestones and assurance measures are met so that we can track progress and delivery of the improvements we want to bring to our residents."

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Meanwhile the new 'housing solutions' has been created to strengthen how the authority supports residents who are at risk of homelessness.

In recent years the council has experienced increasing pressure within its homelessness service, reflected particularly in the rising number of households requiring temporary accommodation. This has created significant operational and financial challenges, as well as increased demand for early support and prevention work.

Many families are staying in cramped temporary accommodation

To address this, the council has developed its improvement plan, which focuses on strengthening service delivery, improving processes, and ensuring residents receive support earlier to prevent housing crises wherever possible.

Delivering an update on the plan, the council says it will 'enhance oversight of temporary accommodation, improve case management, and help staff support residents to move on more quickly and sustainably into suitable long-term housing'.

And it adds: "A key focus of the plan is prevention. By investing in earlier intervention and closer partnership working, the council aims to support residents sooner, reducing the likelihood that they will face homelessness and helping to minimise the need for temporary accommodation."

Cllr Hooper says: "Homelessness is complex and often linked to a range of wider challenges beyond housing alone. This plan reinforces our commitment to working together across services and with partners to prevent homelessness wherever possible and to support residents who need our help.

"It provides clearer direction and stronger tools for staff so they can deliver a more consistent and proactive service, ensuring residents receive the right support at the right time.

"By focusing on prevention and improving how we manage temporary accommodation, we can achieve better outcomes for residents while also reducing long-term costs for the council."