Four councils in east Kent have taken back control of housing management services.

Canterbury City Council, and Dover, Folkestone & Hythe and Thanet DCs have now taken over the services and most staff provided by East Kent Housing (EKH).

The move was taken after a series of health and safety failings were discovered at some of the properties that EKH was managing on behalf of the councils last year.

In a joint statement, the four councils said: 'All four councils are determined to put the needs of tenants and leaseholders at the heart of the four housing services that have been established as evidenced by the creation of an extra 70 frontline posts.

'We want them to see real improvements to the service they receive and the way their homes are managed.

'We realise this is not a magic wand and it will not solve every problem overnight.

'This incredibly complex project is just the start of the journey and there is a lot of hard work ahead of us.'