KCC secures a single eviction order in five years

KERRY County Council has secured just one eviction order through the courts for anti-social behaviour in five years, it emerged on Monday.

In the same time-frame, 11 tenancy warnings and three exclusion orders were granted following complaints that were managed and investigated by the council’s Tenancy Management Team.

That’s according to Kerry County Council in response to a question tabled by Sinn Fein Cllr Tom Barry at the monthly meeting of the local authority.

“In many cases we’re talking here about people who’ve had several chances after misbehaving,” Cllr Barry said. He asked that anti-social behaviour be top of the agenda at the next JPC meeting.

“I know that management will say ‘cost is an issue’ with CCTV, but this would be offset by the reduction in crime,” Cllr Barry added.

JUST one tenant of Kerry County Council has been evicted for anti-social behaviour by the authority in the past five years.

The figure was revealed by the Council in a response to a query by Sinn Fein Cllr Tom Barry at a meeting on Monday.

In the same time-frame, 11 tenancy warnings and three exclusion orders were granted by the council’s Tenancy Management Team.

The issue of anti-social behaviour in housing estates across the county was widely debated by councillors, all of whom emphasised the difficulty of anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods.

Cllr Barry also requested that anti-social behaviour should be made top of the agenda at the next Joint Policing Commission (JPC) meeting at Kerry County Council.

“In many cases we’re talking here about people who’ve had several chances after misbehaving,” Cllr Barry said.

“I know that management will say ‘cost is an issue’ with CCTV, but this would be offset by the reduction in crime.

“We all allow for people who are suffering from mental health issues, but this is a major problem that needs addressing,” Cllr Barry added.

Cllr Brendan Cronin seconded the motion, adding that late-night drinking and vulgar graffiti on walls was becoming a major problem in some Killarney housing estates.

Elderly people living on their own are afraid to even look out their windows, he told the chamber.

“Setting fire to dry ditches is the latest problem we have with these people,” he said.

“We need to improve the quality of life for the law-abiding people living in these areas,” Cllr Cronin added.

The issue of anti-social behaviour was also raised during a discussion on the Housing Capital Programme.

“They have made life intolerable for elderly people. The council should know that when these people are housed it impacts on the community,” Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae said.

Cllr Michael Gleeson also lambasted the behaviour of a minority, urging that the Tenant Purchase Scheme be enhanced as it ‘produces a good standard of community’.

In its response, council management explained that pursuing formal eviction notices, including court actions, is a challenging and lengthy process given the personal rights involved.

Management said this is a difficult process that generally requires a formal complaint to KCC and the Gardaí.

It said that a strong evidence-based case must also be established in relation to any anti-social behaviour before action is considered.

Sinn Fein Cllr Tom Barry