SOUTHEND Council has come under fire for selling off empty homes amid rising waiting lists for social housing.

The council says it has sold six homes it owns which do not form part of its social housing stock.

It owns another 18 homes which could prospectively be sold to raise revenue for the council.

Anne Jones, Labour councillor for Westborough ward has criticised the sell off homes, including large properties in Bournemouth Park Road, Southend, Cranley Avenue and Ceylon Drive in Westcliff as tenants move on.

She said: “The council says that when leases end they don’t want to spend thousands of pounds doing up the properties but the ones I’ve seen are not in bad repair and if they were how have they been allowed to deteriorate?

“The Ceylon Road one was split into two flats. I’m not sure how they both became vacant at the same time unless one was kept empty until the other occupants left.

“We have a real housing need for larger properties. There are families on the housing list in unsuitable accommodation and we have nowhere to move them to.”

Ms Jones added: “I believe the council is borrowing to buy commercial properties such as The Range in Southend. They say that funding borrowing by selling houses is government policy but what’s wrong with challenging that policy?

“There is a possibility of selling of non housing stock with revenue being put in the housing revenue fund but these funds are not coming back into housing. If something goes out of housing as an asset it should be re-used that way. This is jam tomorrow but we need bread now.”