€28,000 in damage to halting site

IF Travellers are responsible for damage to accommodation units provided to them, they should be held accountable, this week’s meeting of the Clare County Council Housing, Social and Cultural Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) heard.

Before the meeting, the members were given a letter outlining a wide variety of repair works needed on some units at Ballymaley halting site, on the outskirts of Ennis, which would cost in the region of €28,000.
Councillor James Breen said the sum was very high. “That site is built less than 10 years and while I’m not anti-Traveller, I believe the cost is enormous.”
He asked where the funding is coming from. “Is the money coming from our own resources of from the Department of the Environment? If it is from our own resources then people have to be held accountable for the damage done.”
Councillor Patricia McCarthy, who chaired the meeting, said she believed that his concerns about expenditure would be shared by all members. She also said that there had been incidences where members of the settled community had been responsible for destroying houses.
Director of services, Bernadette Kinsella, said normally, repairs are funded from the council’s own resources, although in certain instances, when the cost is particularly high, support can be sought from the department.
Responding, Councillor Breen reiterated his view that people can’t be allowed to cause damage without any consequence.
“We have been very good to Travelling people in this county council and we have given an example for other local authorities but people have to be held accountable.”
Councillor Oliver Garry supported Mr Breen and said that there should be ­further investigation of who was responsible for the damage.
Ms Kinsella said that in the current climate, the same amount of funding is unlikely to be available for Traveller accommodation, as had been there in recent years.
The matter is to be referred to the Local Traveller Accommodation Committee.