by Alan Jacques
LIMERICK City and County Council’s housing department came under heavy fire as councillors expressed their discontent with how it’s been run since the merger of the two local authorities last year.
At this month’s Newcastle West municipal district meeting, Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin said it was “scandalous” that he had to put a motion on the agenda to get works carried out at a council house in Garravane, Mountcollins.
“I’m not happy with how the housing department is being run. It’s not working. After exhausting every other avenue, I have had to put this on the agenda to try alleviate problems for a young family with young children,” he explained.
Cllr Galvin said the house was damp and cold and had problems with leaks. An estimated €50,000 had originally been spent by the Council on works when it was purchased for social housing stock, but local councillors raised serious questions about the workmanship involved.
He warned the council that he would address issues in regards social housing through motions at public meetings if the housing department didn’t up its game.
“I’m a little perturbed that this issue had to be brought up at a council meeting and I’m disturbed to hear work had already been carried out in this house. Who signed off on the work?” Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan asked.
Sinn Fein councillor Seamus Browne said he was disappointed that Cllr Galvin was forced to take such drastic measures to get this work completed for a young family.
“Our housing stock is deteriorating rapidly and has been for many years. The same standards in the private sector do not seem to apply to the local authority. There are houses out there with no insulation,” he claimed.
Fine Gael councillor Jerome Scanlan told the council executive that their tenants were expected to pay local property tax, but didn’t get the same service as that expected by tenants from landlords in the private sector.
“Rents in Newcastle West are around €135 a week,” he said.
Fianna Fail councillor Francis Foley asked that the Council take inventory of its social housing stock and provide money to upgrade it.
“Some of these homes haven’t been upgraded in over 20 years. House are freezing, people have no insulation, yet rents are going up,” he said.
Cllr Michael Collins (FF), an auctioneer in Newcastle West, said that no one at the Council was taking responsibility for this problem. When his fellow councillors asked his opinion on the current value of council house in Garravane, Mountcollins, Cllr Collins estimated it to be worth around €30,000.
Area engineer Ben Noonan said that contact had been made with the tenants to deal with issues of dampness in their home.
