Mayo County Council passed its new Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2010-2014 at Monday’s meeting of the local authority. The policy was originally designed to be uniform county-wide, but both Ballina Town Council and Castlebar Town Council have made a number of changes to the policy to tailor them to their own needs.
Senior executive officer for Mayo County Council Padraig Flanagan told the members that the council had originally wanted to put this plan before them at the previous month’s meeting, but held off following requests from some of the councillors to get submissions from the Gardai on the plan. Those submissions had been received and the Gardai had asked that a provision be put in that the council could accept complaints from a recognised residents’ association or from an elected councillor if people were afraid of confidentiality.
The plan will primarily cover only local authority housing, but Mr Flanagan did confirm that the council will also be able to deal with landlords who refuse to deal with tenants who are part of the Rás housing scheme, where the council pays the rent for tenants of private rented houses for people who qualify for the scheme.
Independent Ballina councillor Gerry Ginty told the meeting that the problem of anti-social behaviour in areas, was a “creeping cancer on society” and “the reality is that thuggery is out of control”. Fellow Independent councillor Frank Durcan told the meeting that in his profession, “I find that that where there is a house for sale in an estate and there is antisocial behaviour problems people can’t sell the houses”. There was support from all parties and independents for the policy which they all hoped would curb issues and put an end to anti-social behaviour.
