There are fresh calls for more vacant council properties in Clare to be restored to address this county’s growing waiting list for social housing.
It comes after figures obtained by Clare FM show the number of housing projects being delivered by the local authority is just a fraction of applications being received for accommodation.
A Freedom Of Information request from Clare FM shows the number of social housing projects delivered here last year was just one tenth of the number of applications for housing to Clare County Council.
Some local authority homes are built from scratch, some are bought by the Council directly and others are leased.
The local authority received 804 applications to its housing list in 2020, with 74 projects being delivered in the likes of Ennis, Sixmilebridge, Kilmihil and Quilty.
There are more houses being constructed by the Council itself – 59 have been built since 2019, and just six were built in the three years prior.
It signals a change in policy, with the number of properties being bought or leased for council housing stock reducing.
As many as 1,300 households are still on the Council’s waiting list – among them is Kilkee single mother Simone McGreene, who is sharing a room and a bed with her 5-year-old son in her mother’s house.
She says the private rental market isn’t an option in West Clare at the moment.
The Council says it’s performing strongly in the delivery of its capital programme and has over 300 units at various stages of delivery – understood to include projects in Ennistymon and Miltown Malbay.
It says land availability remains a ‘significant obstacle’, but that it continues to ‘pursue development opportunities as they arise’.
The Council is to receive 1.7 million euro in funding to refurbish and re-let 119 vacant local authority homes in this county this year.
Ennis-based Fianna Fail Councillor Pat Daly says he’s hopeful further funding will be provided down the line, to allow further stock become available once more.
