Standard of local authority housing comes under fire

Some of the properties being allocated by Galway County Council and approved housing bodies to those on waiting lists are of such a poor quality that they would not be rented out by MADRA, the dog rescue organisation.

That’s the claim from Tuam Councillor Donagh Killilea, who revealed that a dwelling allocated to a tenant in South East Galway had rats in one of the matrasses.

Cllr Killilea claimed that some of the dwellings being rented from private landlords are in such a condition that they should not be allocated to anybody.

Councillors were discussing the volume of vacant properties around County Galway and how difficult it was to accommodate those on the housing waiting list.

Cllr Killilea said that Galway County Council had limited availability and often had to look towards those in the private sector to avail of houses for those on the waiting list. The same, he said, was true of the approved housing bodies.

“Some of them that I have seen are absolute tips. You wouldn’t allocate some of them to MADRA given the state they are in and really shouldn’t be allocated to anyone,” he added.

Many of those who are allocated houses avail of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme which is provided to those in need of a rent supplement. This monthly payment is made directly to the landlords.

Director of Services for Housing, Liam Hanrahan, assured the meeting that HAP inspections are carried out on both private and Council owned properties to ensure that they are up to standard.

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune (March 25 edition). You can buy a digital edition HERE.