Council to invest millions in social housing.
Castle Point Council says the essential works will ensure resident safety.
Last updated 5th Aug 2025
Castle Point Council has agreed to invest more than £1million to improve its housing after it was slammed by the Government for “very serious failings” in how it maintains its rented housing.
The Council says the "essential works" "to ensure resident safety" include fire safety improvements removal of trip hazards, improvement of floor coverings, footpaths, mobility scooter access, and replacement and updating of furniture.
The major investment of £1.8million, which was approved by council leader Dave Blackwell, will be used to undertake essential compliance and improvement works to the Council’s sheltered housing schemes and general needs housing properties, the council says.
It comes after the Government’s Regulator of Social Housing raised serious concerns about how the council was checking and recording the state of the council homes. In December, the regulator found the council had a “failure” to demonstrate it was meeting landlord health and safety legal requirements.
The regulator inspected the council’s housing system again in December after an inspection in September. The regulator also found that while the council showed “willingness” to improve, there was not “evidence to sufficiently assure” the regulator the council understood the “risks” to tenants due to any unassessed and or unaddressed issues with the council homes. The Government’s regulator gave the council a C4 rating, which is the lowest possible for housing.
Cllr Blackwell said: “This latest significant investment in our ambitious housing improvement programme further signifies our commitment to our residents to deliver much needed improvements following years of neglect and underinvestment from the previous administration.”
Rob Lillis, portfolio holder for health, wellbeing and housing, added: “We are committed to addressing the historic systemic failure in the management of the housing service, going back very many years which included failure to invest in stock, repairs and staff development and training.
“This investment will address issues identified by the housing improvement programme which are essential to ensure the safety of our residents, and I am pleased that the council has acted swiftly to provide the necessary funds.”