Over 1,000 people at risk of losing out on housing

...BUT COUNCILLORS UNHAPPY OVER LOCATION OF PLANNED HOMES

OVER 1,000 people on the Social Housing List risk losing their place after failing to return assessment forms to Wicklow County Council.

The initial deadline was the end of July but the local authority has had to extend that time because of the amount of forms which haven’t been returned.

There are currently 3,886 people on the housing list but over 1,000 of them still haven’t filled out the assessment forms which are part of a review of Social Hosing being carried out by the council.

Cllr John Snell, Chairman of the Housing SPC, warned that people could find themselves removed from the waiting list.

‘It is through no fault of anyone in the council if people don’t get back to Wicklow County Council. It may be that people have moved to a new address or changed their details but not over 1,000 people.’

WICKLOW County Council has received stage one approval to go ahead with 160 housing units for this year as part of efforts to accelerate the amount of social housing in the Garden County.

Monday’s special meeting of the county council featured a presentation from the Housing Section on the supply of social housing.

The council hopes to roll out the Housing Assistance Payment scheme between October and December of this year as another form of housing support.

With regard to homelessness, from January to the end of August, 120 individuals and 217 families presented themselves to the council as either homeless or at risk of being made homeless.

The Local Authority will try and assist with all such cases and regard emergency accommodation as ‘an absolute last resort.’

However, there were dissenting voices from the chamber floor who weren’t happy with the spread of housing county-wise.

Cllr Vincent Blake said: ‘All the new units are planned mainly along the east coast from Arklow to Bray but south and west Wicklow hasn’t fared so well. You have only four units in Aughrim and none west from there. There are properties out there which are available for purchase at reasonable prices. I have informed council officials of this but each time I am told they aren’t suitable for purchase.’

Cllr Gerry O’Neill felt Irish Water were holding up the development of housing in west Wicklow, particularly due to a lack of sewage capacity in Blessington and water capacity in Dunlavin.

Cllr Chris Fox suggested affordable sites, commenting on the success of a similar scheme launched a number of years ago.

However, Director of Services Joe Lane said Central Government had made it clear they wouldn’t support such schemes.

Cllr Michael O’Connor said: ‘I was hoping this would signal a move away permanently from the privatisation of social housing. It could be you have a family in Bray, with the kids going to school in Bray, and the only affordable accommodation available to them is Arklow. The privatization of social housing hasn’t served the people of the state or the county well in the past.’

Cllr Joe Behan also felt there was an over-reliance on the private sector when it comes to social housing needs.

‘The trend has been to subsidise the provision of private rentals by providing rent supplements but we, the people, never end up owning the houses. It seems ridiculous to effectively let the private sector dictate the levels of social housing in this country.’

Cllr Pat Doran also lamented the lack of housing taking place within the Baltinglass Municipal District.

‘I can mention at least three or four places, villages in west Wicklow, who have all the services required but no houses are being built.’