COUNCIL RENT INCREASES ARE LASHED AS STEP TOO FAR
LAST WEEK THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN SOCIAL HOUSING RECEIVED LETTERS INFORMING THEM OF SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL’S IMPLEMENTATION OF RENT HIKES
A pensioner who last week received a letter informing him of a 20% rent increase on his home has said Sligo County Council has ‘gone too far’.
The man, who has lived in his local authority house in Cranmore for 40 years has said this hike will be a huge strain on his finances.
The letter from the council informed him that his rent will be increasing from €65 to €77 from February 1st next.
“It’s crazy. I’m a pensioner, and between charges with bins and now this, it’s crazy. They [the council] have you over a barrel,” said the man.
He told The Sligo Champion that between paying for food, fuel, bin collections and now this hike he will be under financial strain next year.
He believes the council has gone a step too far with the hike and said the only way to stop it is if every renter opposes it from the very start and band together.
“If everybody, from February 1st pays the weekly rent, instead of the increase I know I’ ll be in arrears, but if everybody does that they can’t put everybody out, its getting out of hand.”
The pensioner commended those councillors who voted against the budget last month, which included the increase in rents.
Those who did not adopt the budget were Councillor Declan Bree, People Before Profit’s Gino O’Boyle, Sinn Fein’s Thomas Healy and Arthur Gibbons and Fianna Fáil councillor Donal Gilroy.
“Christmas hasn’t come yet, we’ve the pandemic and then they hit you with another rise. I don’t know what planet they’re living on. Whoever is behind this doesn’t see the reality of it, they just see money and paperwork, they don’t think about people, they just think of big jobs.”
He added, “They think they can send out letters and we’ ll pay. They’re not worried about pensioners.”
He concluded, “When they [civil servants] retire they’re on good money. People in high classes don’t care about the small people. I think it’s all wrong, I don’t know how to stop it. Everybody should get together, Declan and Gino are doing their best, they need people behind them to back them.”
Speaking about the hikes, Cllr O’Boyle said he believed the increase should not be introduced as Covid-19 is still impacting people’s financial well being.
“People are still out of work, bills didn’t stop so I don’t see why it [rent increase] should be brought out now, there’s no difference from 2020 and going into next year.” He said in relation to other councillors ‘ back tracking’ on voting for the rent increase and saying it was out of their control and rests with the council executive, this was simply not the case.
“By supporting the budget councillors supported the rent increase...There are people struggling as it was, what are they going to do.”
He also questioned the validity of the reasoning that the hike was needed to facilitate repair works in the council’s housing stock.
“They’re putting it down to maintenance works, they can’t do it anyway because the council don’t have the staff to do it.”
O’Boyle said the increase for some up to the maximum rent of €105 per week can in some cases be on par with a mortgage. “If they would pay that they possibly would have a mortgage but they can’t.”
He also suggested other fairer ways of raising moneys such as vacant site levies.
“Big business have their say, and are controlling some councillors, any rents on businesses are shot down. Every time the small guy is getting done. People say hard decisions have to be made, but it always suits big businesses.” In a statement from Sligo County Council’s Acting Chief Executive Tom Kilfeather, stated there had been a deferral in the increase in Housing rents due to the pandemic and said it was important to note the council had the lowest rent of all the Local Authorities in the country and rents had not been increased for a number of years.
“The additional income that will accrue to the Council from the modest increase in rents will support improvements to our housing stock.”