Labelling Jaywick as a “special case” would be patronising to residents, according to leading councillors.

Tendring Council’s community leaderships and partnerships committee criticised Essex County Council for spending £7million on Brentwood High Street when it would not adopt and upgrade any of Jaywick’s dilapidated roads.

It called on the county council’s Tory cabinet to lobby the Government for funding and to treat the resort, listed as the third most deprived ward in the county, as a “special case”.

But Tendring Council’s cabinet has disagreed.

Peter Halliday, councillor responsible for finance, said: “I think we have to be very careful calling Jaywick a special case and I don’t think the residents of Jaywick are happy being called that.

“Spending money on Jaywick will not address the issues. Every pound spent on roads in Jaywick will be a pound misspent.”

Mr Halliday said regenerating the resort was “a bigger job than just repairing roads” and that it would not solve social and economic problems. He said cash should instead be spent on improving the quality of housing.

Sarah Candy, councillor responsible for planning, said: “Surely this cabinet needs to be committed to regeneration across Tendring and not one special ward, even if that ward has its own specific problems.”

Carlo Guglielmi, councillor responsible for regeneration, said the priority is to improve residents’ access to healthcare.

Mick Masterson, chairman of the Friends of Brooklands, said after 40 years of neglect, residents are beyond feeling patronised.

He said dealing with surface water drains in the resort’s 29 unadopted roads needs to be a priority.

Earlier this year, the Jaywick Sands Freehold Association folded so ownership of the roads would return to the Crown, but Essex County Council said it is not responsible for the roads and has no plans to adopt them.