Dundalk councillor calls for urgent additional funding for housing stock

Sinn Féin councillor Ruairí Ó Murchú has said that Louth County Council must make additional maintenance funding available for the Council's housing stock as soon as possible.

Cllr Ó Murchú said:

"On Tuesday night at the Dundalk Municipal Council Meeting, councillors were informed that the current budget for housing maintenance had been completely exhausted. I asked if there was any possibility of the necessary funds being found and was told they were in the process of appealing to the Chief Executive for additional monies.”

A Budget meeting then took place on Wednesday.

Cllr Ó Murchú was at that meeting and said "the Chief Executive said she would make €400,000 to €500,000 available for housing maintenance which is to be welcomed but it is questionable as to whether this will be sufficient.”

"Housing repair works which are not completed in a timely way will have a longer term impact on the Council's budget as these problems worsen over time", he said.

He continued, "I am aware of cases in which Council houses are being left empty for long periods of time due to the lack of funding to bring them up to a habitable standard.

"The current housing shortage, which is the direct consequence of government policy, has also led to rising instances of sub-standard accommodation being used. We cannot permit housing stock in Louth to fall into disrepair.

"All of this needs to be taken into account in relation to the 2019 maintenance budget as part of the overall Council budget.

"There is a major problem with insufficient funding from central government for local authorities. 

"Overall central government funding is less now than it was in 2014 and 2015 and there has been no taking into account of inflation or payroll restoration costs.

"This has been an on-going issue for the Council and they continue to represent to central government. In the meantime, tenants are left in the position that in spite of paying their rent, their landlord, the Council, is not carrying out repairs in a reasonable timeframe, if at all", Cllr Ó'Murchú concluded.