BASILDON Council tenants and leaseholders can tell the council what they think of its service, via a new scrutiny panel.

Residents are invited to identify areas for improvement, influence the future of the service and investigate complaints by joining the council’s tenant scrutiny panel.

The panel is being set up under the Government’s Localism Act, which aims to give residents more power over things affecting their lives, including the ability to hold local authority landlords to account. The council hopes to have the eight-member panel set up by October.

To be shortlisted as a candidate, you must be a council tenants or leaseholder, and be available to be interviewed for the post. Successful candidates will get training.

For more information, or to put yourself forward as a potential candidate, call the council’s resident involvement team, on 01268 465082, by September 23.