More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A council has been urged to ditch a housing authority after it emerged hundreds of properties were missing gas safety certificates.
Labour is demanding Thanet District Council carries out an "urgent review" amid waning confidence in East Kent Housing (EKH) to provide safe housing for council tenants in the district.
It follows news that more than 500 properties across east Kent did not have up to date safety credentials.
Mark Anderson, EKH's director of property services, left his job in the wake of the scandal revealed last week.
Now Labour - the official opposition - is calling on the Conservatives in charge to return council housing services back under the local authority's control.
The party says the council should cut its ties with EKH saying the organisation offers "a lack of accountability".
Labour's deputy leader on the council, Cllr Helen Whitehead, said: "We have always had serious concerns about the lack of accountability in the arm’s length model, but the first duty the council owes its tenants is to keep them safe.
"Thanet, along with the other councils, has stepped in to tackle the gas certificate issue and thankfully the number of missing certificates is coming down, but it is clear from this that there is a wider governance issue and that EKH cannot be trusted to look after our housing."
Cllr Whitehead, who is also the shadow portfolio holder for housing at the council, says the cabinet needs to consider bringing the service "back in house".
"If we aren’t satisfied that is happening then it is something we will look to bring before full council ourselves.
"Ultimately this is about providing a better service to tenants and their views matter most, but we do not believe the EKH model works."
EKH was established in 2011 and is jointly owned by the four district council's in east Kent - Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe.
In total, 544 homes across the four districts were left with overdue gas safety inspections.
The fallout from the gas certificate scandal saw former Canterbury council leader, Simon Cook, brand EKH "no longer fit for purpose".
It has also led to calls for the city council's chief executive to quit for a "lack of action" over the scandal hit housing firm.
A council spokesman said: "First and foremost our concern is for those tenants who have been affected and have been contacted by East Kent Housing (EKH).
"We’ve worked quickly with EKH to resolve this issue and understand that the number of outstanding checks has fallen significantly.
"An independent investigation is now underway to review what has gone wrong and to seek assurances that this will not happen again.
"Each of the four east Kent councils will be reporting back to its councillors to set out the circumstances of this issue, the actions required and to review the future options for this service."
