A chronic lack of social and affordable housing and a growing housing list are areas that seriously need to be addressed by the local authority, according to local representatives.
Carlow Town Council’s latest housing report shows that there are currently 752 people on the local authority’s housing list, although 475 of those applicants are in receipt of rent allowance.
To receive rent allowance under any of the local authority schemes, applicants are required to put their names on the council’s housing list, meaning a large number of those on the list are probably not genuinely seeking local authority housing.
But it is the remainder of those who are seeking housing that are being let down, according to Cllr Jennifer Murnane O’Connor.
“The other 277 people are paying full rent, up to €800, and they can’t afford it,” she said.
“These are the people we are letting down because we are not helping them. We have no houses to give to them. We have one affordable house in the whole of Carlow.
“We need to try and help the people who are paying a serious amount for a house that will never be their own and we can’t help them because we only have one affordable house.”
Carlow Town Council currently has a total housing stock of 627, with 618 of those already allocated, two ready to be let, and seven in need of major refurbishment or repair.
Cllr Des Hurley said the turnover on houses in need of repairs should be much quicker, and he also urged the council to look at the second-hand market for social and affordable housing, a move which he said would also keep out speculating landlords.
“Speculators taking up former local authority houses brings with it anti-social behaviour, which is becoming more of a problem in recent years. In some way we should try and act,” said Cllr Walter Lacey.
“The problem is that the local authority has a say in the first sale of a local authority house but not in any of the sales after that,” noted Cllr Hurley.
“Should we contact the minister and try to get a say in all future sales?”
Councillors have also called for measures to allow people in voluntary housing the opportunity to buy the houses they are living in, with Cllr Rody Kelly saying the council should be encouraging them to purchase their homes.
Council housing officer Seamus De Faoite said people in voluntary housing did have some entitlements with regard to the mortgage scheme.
And he defended the turnover period for local authority houses requiring refurbishment and repair.
“Our turnover period is an average of three-and-a-half weeks where staff go in and rewire the whole house and fit new windows and doors and kitchens,” he said.
“The houses that are left there long-term are few and far between.”
Carlow Town Council has allocated 28 houses to people on the housing list so far this year. Construction is expected to commence soon on a new 36-house development at the Burren Road, comprising 18 social and 18 affordable houses.
