IN the wake of the sale of assets belonging to Thurrock Council, including land earmarked for development and a house and shop in Grays, opposition councillors have questioned the authority's commitment to providing social housing in the borough.

Grays Riverside councillors Martin Kerin, Jane Pothecary and Tony Fish have issued a joint statement asking whether the Conservative administration at the helm of the council are committed to utilising brownfield sites and disused assets to build council housing in their ward.

Reacting to the news of a plan to convert the former office of the Thurrock Asian Association in Clarence Road - which was recently sold by the council - into two private flats, they said: "If the Thurrock Tories were genuinely committed to utilising disused assets to build council homes, they would have jumped at the opportunity to develop this particular asset themselves.

"Following on from their failure over the brownfield Argent Street site, it is becoming increasingly clear that they have little interest in addressing Thurrock's ever-growing council housing waiting list.

"Equally, if the current ddministration had a clear plan for using disused assets and brownfield sites, we wouldn't have to continually fight off their attempts to build on our precious green spaces.

"Once again, we are imploring the Thurrock Tories to think creatively about brownfield sites and disused assets and put them to use for the good of those languishing on waiting lists."