Westmeath County Council asleep at wheel in terms of a coherent housing policy – Troy

Fianna Fáil TD for Longford Westmeath, Robert Troy, has criticised Westmeath County Council for failing to hit their social housing targets for 2019.

Deputy Troy said the council are falling short in getting social housing built, while they are overly reliant on schemes such as Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).

“At a recent meeting of elected representatives and officials from Westmeath County Council, the senior housing officer confirmed that the council expect to supply just 70-80 housing units this year – this is despite a target of 130 being set.

“I find the lack of urgency alarming and the lethargic nature of the council is deeply frustrating given the number of people within the county who are in urgent need of accommodation.

“The over reliance on HAP, RAS and other forms of leasing is heaping pressure on the private rental market, which is already buckling. You need only walk past the window of an estate agent in the town to see the lack of housing available for rent or to buy.

“I am seeking clarification from the chief executive as to what concrete measures they are bringing forward to address the shortfall and whether or not there is an issue in terms of resources from central government which would explain the failure in supplying the necessary social housing units.

“I want to know what sites have been identified which are already within the council’s ownership and how many turnkey expressions of interest were received by the council to date and how many have been advanced.

“I also want to know when a new director of housing will be in situ, given the retirement of the existing director this week.

“The fact that the council have already spent 80% of their homeless budget while projecting that they will only supply 60% of their social housing target just goes to show that they are using vital funds to plaster over cracks. It’s important that they get out in front of this issue and provide vital housing stock,” he concluded.