House building, a safer town, and a review of gypsy and traveller policies are all among the promises outlined by Basildon Council’s new administration.

The new alliance made up of Labour, the Independents and the Wickford Independents took control of the council from the Tories during a crucial leadership vote on Thursday night.

New council leader Gavin Callaghan said the alliance wants to remove party politics and focus on addressing the issues that affect “all four corners of the borough”.

He outlined a series of ambitions, which the alliance has called “the most ambitious programme for the five towns of the borough, in our history”.

He said: “From the moment a resident steps out of their door they encounter council services, from the state of our roads to rubbish collections, street cleaning, CCTV installation and air quality. Basildon Council is responsible for so much of our everyday lives.

“Let us be clear, For too long too many estates have been left to suffer, from the plight of fly tipping to the lack of street sweeping and enforcement.

“The previous administration treated those estates and residents like second class citizens and as we know to govern is to choose, so let us say clearly to residents on the forgotten estates of this borough, we choose you and we understand what you have been saying to the council for too long.

“We also need to do more to protect the public grounds and through the work of the neighbourhood and public spaces committee which will be led by councillor Harrison we will do just that.

“This year the local plan will go to its examination in public, it will be a monumental test for this council we will do everything we can to reverse the disastrous gypsy and traveller policy and support the residents of Hovefields and Bowers Gifford.

“Councillor Adele Brown will lead the work of the work of the infrastructure and growth committee to also ensure that from economic development to infrastructure, skills and pre-school education, Basildon Council does all it can to create opportunity, narrow the gap and be bolder and more ambitious for our residents and businesses than ever before.”

He added that through the alliance “no one group or party has overall control” and they believe that party politics should be put to one side.

The new deputy leader of the council Independent Councillor Kerry Smith also promised to urgently deal with the borough’s housing waiting list.

“We need to start getting our housing waiting list addressed – we have to deal with it. I understand there is a seven week wait to get on the housing waiting list,” he said.

“We need to deal with this, we need to deal with housing and that is the big burning issue in this town.”