People on housing list spend decades without offer, councillor claims

People are “being left on the side of the road” as landlords sell properties while others are languishing on the housing list for decades without any offer of a house, according to Cllr Mick Dollard.

Speaking at a Housing Strategic Policy Committee meeting on Monday of last week, Cllr Dollard called for a review of Westmeath County Council’s letting priorities. A lot of people are on HAP, RAS and various leasing programmes, but these houses are being sold, he said. He felt that the council’s letting priorities did not take cognisance of them.

Cllr Dollard told the meeting of one man who had been on the council housing list since 1996 – 26 years, and had never received an offer of a house or an old person’s dwelling. Other elderly people are on the list since 2007 and have never been offered a house, he claimed.

Cllr Dollard said that people who were receiving rent supplements could be “slipping through the net”, but stressed that they would not have received rent supplement if they were not on the approved housing list.

Cllr Dollard called for a review of the council’s letting priorities because a lot of things had changed since they were drawn up.

He was supported by Cllr Frankie Keena, who asked that the thresholds for eligibility to get on the housing list be reviewed too so more people could be accommodated.

Cllr Keena also asked if a housing liaison officer had been appointed to fill the position vacated by Kieran Butler.

Mark Keaveney, director of services, pointed out that in an analysis carried out last year on lettings based on the nationwide figures, Westmeath County Council was found to be performing better than most and had fewer people on the housing list for extended periods. However, he agreed that this issue could be put on the agenda for the next meeting.

He said the council was in the process of appointing a new housing welfare officer.

In reply to Cllr Keena regarding a review of eligibility threshold, Mr Keaveney said the council had written to the department about that and was told they would look at it in due course.

The meeting agreed to ask the council to write to the department again.