Southend Council is to ask the Government for more than £70 million to improve its 7,000 council houses.

Councillors have voted to submit a bid for £70.765 million - £11,370 per home - to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

They say the money is needed to meet the Government standard of decent homes by 2010.

But there is no guarantee the council will get all the funding it is asking for.

Gwen Horrigan, executive councillor for housing, said: "We are putting this figure before the Government. Hopefully, we will get it, but we have to be realistic."

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