Council under fire after not seeking Government permission on Queensway plans

Southend Council has come under fire for not seeking Government permission over the future of 441 local authority homes.The council homes, mostly in tower blocks in Queensway, are set to be demolished for a £500million town centre development.The council has announced it is working in partnership with Swan Housing Association to build 1,600, with many classed as “affordable”.However Independent councillors say the permission should have been sought from the Secretary of State before such an agreement was made.The council tenants currently on the site have been assured if they wish to remain in the Queensway development they can do so under their existing rental arrangements.The Independents say they believe this element of social housing will be lost when these tenancy come to an end and could be replaced with affordable housing tenancy based on private rents in the area – and out of the reach of the poorest in the town.The development came up for discussion at last week’s full council meeting.