POLITICIANS from all sides have questioned whether vulnerable people should be living on a caravan park all year round.

Parties from across the political spectrum have said the caravans at Thorney Bay Village on Canvey are unsuitable family homes.

It has been revealed Castle Point Council paid almost £4million in housing benefit to house vulnerable people, including the unemployed, single parents and ex-offenders, on the park over the past two years.

The park owners, the King family, has insisted the caravans are insulated and comply with health and safety regulations.

Rebecca Harris, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Castle Point, said: “I don't think caravans or mobile homes are suitable accommodation for families to live permanently, which is why I have supported many families to move from a caravan to a decent house or flat.

“Families should be in proper bricks and mortar homes. But until developers stop clogging up the system by refusing to build on brownfield land, waiting in vain for local councils to support development of large tracks of open green belt land, people need accommodation.

“We also need to build more affordable homes for local residents on smaller unused plots.”

Labour candidate Joe Cooke said: “The situation is far from satisfactory. This is a holiday caravan park, not designed for all-year living.

“The local authority inspection and enforcement regimes should ensure satisfactory standards if conducted effectively.

“Of course, Castle Point needs more social housing and these should be secure tenancies.”

Alan Bayley, Ukip leader on Essex County Council, said: “It seems like a desperate situation, like a last resort.

“What are we going to do with these people, throw them out on the street?

“It’s a situation no-one wants to be in, but one we find ourselves in. The amount of money we are paying seems exceptional.”

Lt Col Horace Percy Fielder created the Thorney Bay Beach Camp from a former Army base in the early Fifties.

Long-standing Canvey councillor Ray Howard said Mr Fielder, and his wife Barbara, only allowed people to stay between March and October, but no planning condition prevents them being occupied all year.

Mr Howard, a Conservative councillor, said: “They are new caravans and excellent in the summer, but in the winter it’s a different ball game.

“The owners keep it extremely neat and tidy, but I’m mindful of some of the incidents that have occurred there.”

Holly King, who manages the site, said: “While living in a caravan all year round may not be to everyone’s liking, many people around Britain choose to do so.

“Thorney Bay Park is committed to health and safety and maintaining all the caravans we own throughout the year.”

A spokesman for Castle Point Council said: “The council can only take action for a breach of a statutory enactment for which the council is the enforcing authority and the accommodation complies with the standards that are presently applicable for caravans and mobile homes.”