10prenton£10,000 houses‘notright’

October 1981

A Wexford Corporation member hit out this week at the small rent which certain Corporation tenants are paying for their homes.

He said the Corporation is building homes at a cost of up to £10,000 each and then giving them out to people for just 10p per week in rent.

Councillor Padge Reck said maybe there are some people who cannot afford more than 10p but it was still a wrong system and he asked the Corporation to condemn it.

But the Borough Council voted not to condemn it. Five members were in favour of the motion and five were against. But the Mayor, Councillor John Roche, who had voted against, had the casting vote.

Councillor Reck said that at present there are 300 people on the housing list but just 49 new houses in the pipeline. It was hard to explain to these people just why it is that other recently-built houses which cost up to £10,000 each are being let out to other people for just 10p per week.

‘A married man with three children and earning £60 per week before tax could be paying over £7 rent on the differential system. How do I explain to him why his counterpart on the dole, who is receiving £30 cash plus free fuel and vouchers, is only paying 10p per week?’ Councillor Reck asked.

And he went on: ‘If I were to equat the two people, I would say that the man on the dole is better off than the hard-working family man. All I ask for is a fair, just and honest system, possibly based on a percentage basis, with a minimum rent of £2’.

Councillor’s Reck decision to raise the mat