Concern has been epxressed that a draft plan aimed at tackling problematic social housing tenancies in Clare doesn’t go far enough.
The Draft Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy was passed by Councillors this week and will see complaints relating to anti-social behaviour investigated on a 24/7 basis, with new Enforcement Officers reporting back to relevant authorities.
In the first nine months of last year there were 220 complaints about anti-social behaviour by tenants in Clare, prompting action by the Council to address the issue.
A new Tenancy Enforcement Unit was set up, and now this plan has also been enacted.
It commits to investigate all complaints of anti-social behaviour within seven days of a receiving a written grievance, and also states that social housing tenants who are evicted on account of such behaviour won’t be re-housed for two years.
It’s also hoped the plan will promote coordination between the Council and Gardaí and other bodies such as the HSE and Tusla in tacking the issue.
A former Mayor of Ennis says that while this strategy does represent an improvement, it doesn’t go far enough.
Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn says there’s no indication of what happens after the lengthy process to evict problem tenants from Council-owned properties.
He says he’s regularly informed about issues being faced by homeowners in private estates.
The Chair of the Council’s Housing Committee has acknowledged the problems being faced by some residents, but is reassuring that there has been a marked difference since the new unit has been put in place.
Shannon Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn says guidelines in place are now in place and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and he’s confident the new measures will help.
