A U-turn by Castle Point Council’s leadership means all councillors will be able to vote on the future of the borough’s green belt.

The council had originally intended only its eight cabinet members would vote on where 1,000 homes should be built in the borough, with green field sites in Benfleet and Hadleigh under consideration.

However, outraged backbenchers have forced the authority to change tack, and now all of the authority’s 41 councillors will have the final vote. Pam Challis, the Conservative leader of the council, made the promise to Tory backbenchers at her party’s group meeting.

Dave Blackwell, leader of the opposition Canvey Island Independent party, said the U-turn was inevitable.

He said: “It was ridiculous only cabinet members were going to vote on this.

“It must be a decision for the whole council because it’s probably one of the most important decisions we will have to make. It’s the future of the borough which is at stake.”

The authority has been forced to look for new sites following a damning report by the Government’s planning inspector Paul Crysell, who is in the process of reviewing the council’s Core Strategy document.

Included in the Core Strategy is the Local Development Framework, which outlines where the council wants to build 5,000 homes in the borough over the next 15 years. Mr Crysell was concerned many of the sites put forward by the authority were unrealistic, and demanded the authority find new locations for 1,000 homes by July 29 this year.

He favoured the use of mainland green belt sites for these homes.

The council’s planning department is putting together a list of potential locations, which will be reviewed by the cabinet later this month.

However, the full council will take the final vote on the issue.