RESIDENTS in high rise blocks of flats in Chadwell St Mary and Tilbury have been subsidising the cost of CCTV cameras cross the borough in another accounting blunder by Thurrock Council.

After information was supplied by a 'whistleblower' to Thurrock Nub News, we initially asked senior council officers if reports that the costs of cameras in Grays and other parts of the borough, including street surveillance cameras were being tacked on to maintenance bills in Tilbury and Chadwell were true.

The council initially denied that to be the case but after we pressed the matter and said we have evidence to back up the claim the council has now issued a statement saying there is a problem – which is being 'addressed' and the council has apologised to residents.

When supplying news of the charging error, the council insider told Nub News: "I wanted to report this as I believe it's unfair for some of the most disadvantaged people paying expensive service charges on top of their rents to maintain the CCTV across the whole borough, when it should be fairly distributed."

Residents in the flats at Chadwell and Tilbury pay a higher charge than those in flats in south Grays and Blackshots because of the concierge system, which incorporates the council's CCTV management suite.

A statement issued by the council today (Tuesday, 28 November), which is ironically the global 'Gifting Tuesday', the council - which claims to have 'openness, transparency and honesty' as an ingrained part of its core values in the wake of its catastrophic financial collapse – 'gifted the truth to Nub News.

It says: "It is correct to say that operational and maintenance cost of housing and some town centre CCTV systems is being charged as part of the concierge service at Gooderham House, Poole House and George Tilbury House, in Chadwell St Mary, and Tasmania House, Fremantle House and Brisbane House, in Tilbury.

The Chadwell flats.

"This has been recognised and reviews will take place.

"The cost of installing cameras is covered through capital and scheme funding or through section 106 agreements, no cameras installation costs are met from housing or HRA (Housing Revenue Account) budgets. 

"Any enforcement cameras used to tackle fly-tipping at sites throughout the borough are funded directly from enforcement budgets and no charge is made to housing or tenants for their installation or maintenance.

"The operational and maintenance costs for all council housing and some town centre camera systems is covered through the charges made for the concierge service.

"The reasons this has happened are historic and complicated and will be investigated in reviews of both service charges and re-charges made against the HRA account.

"This is a highly complex piece of work which will take some time to complete.

"These reviews will include all services charges, including those made to the six Thurrock Council blocks that have concierge services, and will examine the amount charged and the services included in that charge.

"We will communicate directly with our tenants about any outcomes from this work which affects them.

"The council apologises for this error and is now taking action to rectify it."

Effectively that means the council will have to pay a lump sum to cover the money paid for CCTV cameras outside the Chadwell and Tilbury blocks in an internal transfer from its general fund – which is subject to huge cuts, many of which will be discussed at an extraordinary council meeting this evening.

It is not yet clear is the council plans to pay recompense to residents in the tower blocks who may have been overcharged.

The money in the HRA is generated from housing receipts and right-to-buy sales and is supposed to be ringfenced and not spent on anything other than housing need.