A few days ago, we put up this post about a council leasehold estate officer getting arsey with a resident who hung a few pictures on the wall of the stairwell leading to their flat: Basildon Council sinking to new depths of pettiness. In that post we pointed out the sheer pettiness of doing this while the relevant council department responsible for the Brooke House block in the town centre has done nothing about issues with the safety of the fire escape stairwell. Issues that include exposure to the weather from outside which, as you can see from the above image, means there’s snow and ice on the stairs, making them hazardous to use.

Brooke House has suffered decades of neglect from Basildon Council. This is regardless of the political composition of the council over the years. The current administration lead by Cllr. Gavin Callaghan (Lab) blather on about their ‘vision’ of a ‘regenerated’ town centre – A hot air event in Basildon – while conditions in Brooke House continue to deteriorate. A ‘vision’ which will pepper the town centre with high rise apartment blocks that very few residents want to see.

If you ever want an illustration of a council that has got its priorities arse about face, this is it… A council that engages in pointless harassment of residents who are trying to make their estate a better place to live. Continually ignoring the concerns of residents in a long neglected tower block. Getting into bed with property developers while failing to do the basics in properly looking after their existing housing stock. The people of Basildon aren’t mugs – they can see straight through the bullshit coming from a council that cannot get it’s priorities right. Some day, there will be a reckoning…