Three Clare county councillors have requested Clare County Council to make urgent contact with national government about what they see as a serious deficiency in the Housing Aid for Older People Grant.
Councillors John Crowe (FG), Pat Daly (FF) and Joe Killeen (FF) put forward the motion at the January meeting of the local authority requesting it makes urgent contact with the Department of Housing in relation to the grant’s exclusion of new fossil fuel boilers meaning oil or gas boilers.
The Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which is administered by local authorities, is for essential repairs to improve the condition of an older person’s home so they can continue to live there. It is aimed at people aged 66 and older, who are living in poor housing conditions.
While the grant can be used to repair heating where it is broken, or provide heating where there is no heating, it explicitly states on the online application form that ‘grants are not available to buy new fossil fuel boilers, for example oil or gas boilers’.
Presenting the motion, Cllr Crowe told the meeting that a line was drawn through this grant without realising the seriousness of the issue.
“What are older people going to do if their boiler breaks down?” he said.
“To be very honest about it, anyone that is looking for a new boiler as regards that, they can’t afford them number one, and there is absolutely no alternative.
“I think it is ridiculous; I think this should be challenged, and I would recommend this motion should be sent to every council in the country because this was a national decision to exclude these people.”
Cllr Pat Daly agreed that an official letter should be sent to the Department.
“To exclude oil or gas is a serious setback to the elderly in every county,” he said.
“The elderly are the most vulnerable in any county, and no doubt some civil servant up in Dublin came up with this. I am calling to reverse this absolutely crazy decision.”
Cllr Killeen, in his contribution also agreed as to the importance of circulating the motion to other councils.
“People will make calls to us as councillors and it might be someone in advancing years or ill health that might need a boiler replaced, and to come back then and respond ‘there is no grant for that’ – to fix a boiler that might have been built in the 1960s, 70s or 80s. I think it is a retrograde decision and I can see why it was introduced, but there needs to be a consideration of these older people so we need to keep everything in context or consideration,” he said.
Meanwhile, North Clare councillor Shane Talty (FF) said they should seek clarity on the text that is going to the Minister. “I think we need to make an explicit request. It was a classic Christmas stroke of the pen to bury this in the text; it is a simple motion to keep an elderly person warm and content and safe in the house. It is way too far, too quickly. Give these people the opportunity to age in grace and those who come in the future will take care of it. I think that a situation where it a complete retro-fit will turn them off [applying]. Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) described the Department’s decision as an “attack” on older people.
“It says it is an older person’s grant, but they have a limited budget. To change the boiler is a simple thing, but people are talking to us about getting help, and this will turn them off. Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) in support of the motion said the reality is that not every house is suitable for retro-fitting.
Cllr Pat Burke (FG) pointed out that the grant is not progress for the many houses that don’t have an alternative source of heat to oil and gas, and with a lot of people out of electricity like they were last week in the challenging weather, retrofitting with electric powered heat pumps won’t cut it.”
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.