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THE Echo is calling on the Government to pay up so vital repairs can be made to council homes across Basildon.

Your local paper today lauches a petition asking the Government to come up with the funding it had promised housing chiefs.

St Georges Community Housing, which manages Basildon Council's 13,000 homes, was promised a £142million loan for crucial maintenance and repairs.

The money would be used to bring all the homes up to the minimum decent standards set by the Department for Communities and Local Government. In autumn last year St Georges got the two star rating it had to get from the Audit Commission in order to secure the funding, but the previous Government made a u-turn and said it would not be getting any money.

It later parted with just £15million following protests from tenants, MPs and councillors. As part of the Echo's Stop the Rot campaign, the Echo is urging the Government to change its mind and help bring an end to the decay ruining the lives of council tenants. South Basildon and East Thurrock MP Stephen Metcalfe is the first to sign the petition and said the money was crucial for residents. He said: “This is a great campaign and I'm calling on as many people as possible to support it. “The money is absolutely vital to residents of Basildon.” Basildon Council leader Tony Ball has also backed the campaign. He said: “It's essential that we get the investment needed for council housing in the district.” With the £15million it was given, St Georges has set about repairing more than 1,000 properties. Last month the firm said it had replaced doors and windows of 657 homes, installed 252 new kitchens, 178 bathrooms and rewired 270 homes, while outside panelling of some homes has been replaced. Another 650 properties are due to be worked on this year but St Georges has said it needs the remaining £127 million for the repairs.

Anyone who would like sign the petition can do so on this page.

The petition can be downloaded here and printed off and sent to Paul Offord, Chief Reporter, Basildon Echo, Newspaper House, Chester Hall Lane, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3BL.

Download petition click here