Where’s our new social housing, councillor asks
THE announcement of funding for new social housing schemes in Wexford and Enniscorthy got under the skin of Cllr Malcolm Byrne at last week’s Gorey District meeting, as he noted that not one new house for Gorey was included in the monthly report which was before the meeting.
He pointed to the allocation of €1.5m for eight new houses in Enniscorthy; €6.6m for 39 homes at Coolcotts, Wexford; €5m for 28 homes at Whitebrook, Wexford; and €2m for 12 homes in Wexford town.
‘Consistently we are not seeing new social housing coming into this area,’ he said. ‘We are continually being told the Gorey district is a priority yet we are not seeing anything coming to Gorey. There is nothing in this report about a new build coming to Gorey.’
‘I’d like to propose that we get a very clear indication of housing planned in the next two to three years in Gorey,’ he said. ‘ The houses are welcome for the other areas, but we’re not getting them.’ Liz Hore, pictured below, from the council’s housing section agreed there is an issue of supply in Gorey. She said they have plans to build more houses in Baile Eoghain and Creagh, but said they have housed people through approved housing bodies such as Cluid. She added that the housing list has been reduced by 25 per cent. Cllr Byrne replied that they have heard about the houses in Baile Eoghain and Creagh coming on stream for a long time. ‘ There’s no big plan,’ he said. ‘I would like to know full details of the County Council land bank and what the Council are going to do with it. How much additional housing are we going to have in a two-year period?’
Cllr Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin commented that a threefold increase in funding for social housing is needed.
Ms Hore told him the programme for this initiative will be rolled out nationally in the new year and local authorities will be able to apply for funding for this work.
District manager Annette O’Neill pointed out that the highest allocation of housing in the county up to the end of November was in the Gorey district. Of the 271 properties allocated to social housing tenants in those 11 months, 78 were in Gorey, including 47 properties controlled by approved housing bodies.
Cllr Robbie Ireton said it was unfair that the housing assistance payment isn’t available to people who are in low-paid jobs and are struggling with rising rents. He was told the payment is aimed at those most in need.