HOMELESS people and families in need could be sent to live in Dartford as Basildon Council prepares to fork out around £50million on new-build homes. 

Council bosses are considering purchasing 150 homes from Taylor Wimpey’s Knights Reach development - 20 miles away from the borough in Kent. 

If the plan progresses, it is hoped the properties will be used as high-quality short-term accommodation to support people to ‘take the next steps’.  

Leader - Gavin Callaghan Leader - Gavin Callaghan (Image: Gavin Callaghan)


It comes as south Essex grapples a temporary accommodation crisis, with Basildon Council facing a projected £3million overspend and Southend Council supporting 326 households facing homelessness. 

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, has claimed the council is spending £1.8 million a year on bed and breakfast accommodation with costs set to ‘spiral out of control’.

He said: “We are seeking to purchase around 150 good quality new homes in Dartford as well as increasing and improving the stock of accommodation so families currently living in unstable bed and breakfast accommodation can move into better and more stable homes that can support them to take their next steps.” 

Unsure - Kevin Blake Unsure - Kevin Blake (Image: Kevin Blake)


The proposed £50million is part of a wider £80million investment in buying 500 homes to help provide temporary homes. Similar moves have taken place in Castle Point, where the council purchased a former sheltered housing complex in Hadleigh in August to create temporary accommodation for 19 households. 

Mr Callaghan added: “Basildon has been grappling with a housing crisis that threatens to spiral out of control unless we take bold, proactive measures. 

"Tackling the housing crisis is our top priority.”

Basildon Tory deputy leader Kevin Blake questioned the benefits of the plans on people with roots in Basildon.

He said: “I don’t like the idea of moving people out of Basildon as well, we have people who may have families in Wickford offered places in Pitsea and they won’t take the place, that is bad enough. We are talking about places in Dartford here.”