Demand for local authority housing in Kilkenny has seen a steep rise in recent times, with a sharp surge in the number of people seeking a home in the city in particular.
At present in Kilkenny, there are over 3,000 households seeking social housing supports.
While the demand has increased in all areas, it is particularly concentrated in the city.
Kilkenny local authories have a stock of just over 2,000 rented houses, 546 of which are in the city area.
“The majority want to live in the city; that’s where the demand is,” said Martin Mullally, senior executive officer in Kilkenny County Council.
“Primarily, people are looking for one-bed, which tells its own story.”
Mr Mullally said that, while there were various reasons for that increase, the primary reasons were financial ones.
So far this year, the council has held nearly 1,000 interviews with prospective tenants – an average of 40 a week. However, as many as 36 per cent of offers of accomodation made have been refused.
“If you look at these figures, we still have very high levels of refusal,” Mr Mullally told the borough council.
The new tenant purchase scheme, which saw 62 applications this year, has resulted in just one completed sale.
“The tenant purchase scheme, which was quite generous, was for those who are long term tenants,” said Mr Mullally.
“But the reality of the situation is they are falling behind. They are unable to sustain long-term repayment.”
“We will see how it works out and I will report back to the council on this matter.”
Cllr O’ hArgain said that while the tenant purchase scheme’s aims were well-founded, it would ultimately prove a bridge too far for many of Kilkenny’s citizens.
“The reality is that a generation of people may never have the right to own their own property,” he said.
Housing adaptations, such as those for the elderly or the disabled, have been slow to be implemented. Of the 120 applications for grant adaptation schemes for people with a disability, less than half (50 ) were approved in 2011.
Other housing adaptations, such as improving the energy efficiency of homes have slowed down due to a reduction in the grant given to local authorities for works. Energy efficiency works can only be carried out on unoccupied buildings, however.
Green Party Councillor Malcom Noonan has said that the council needed to ensure that the retro-fitting of houses continued despite cutbacks.
“The issue of fuel poverty is going to become one of the most significant challenges for families in the next couple of years,” he said.
“We can make a significant difference if people had an extra €30 or €40 in their pockets that could be spent on food or clothing.”
