‘People on housing list should get Traveller units’

PEOPLE on Ennis’ housing waiting list should be able to move into vacant Traveller accommodation, the Mayor of Ennis has stated.

At this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, the draft amendment of the Traveller Accommodation Programme 2009-2013 for Clare County Council was discussed. The amendment points out there are currently 16 vacancies in the group scheme programme in Clare, or 25% of all units provided.
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Michael Guilfoyle stated, “It’s depressing to see units unoccupied. Some Travellers are now living in private estates and I see no reason why we can’t see a reverse. These houses could be done up and the council give people on the housing list the opportunity to take up this accommodation.”
The draft outlines that the council and members of the Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (LTACC) recognise that the group scheme programme has had “disappointing results”. This is reflected in the high number of vacancies, the high level of transfer requests (13 households or 27% of all current tenancies in group schemes) and the loss of units through arson (five, or 7.9% of all units provided).
Through successive Traveller accommodation programmes, the council has implemented a wide variety of housing options for Travellers. This has included, among others, provision of accommodation and housing support and the construction of 10 permanent group scheme developments throughout the county at a cost of €20 million.
According to the draft, analysis of Traveller housing applicants indicates that accommodation types other than group schemes is the preferred choice of Travellers included in the accommodation programme. This finding is supported by the LTACC.
The amendment states that arising from the council’s experience, the LTACC consultation and the analysis of accommodation requirements, the council does not propose to proceed with further group scheme developments identified in the 2009-2013 programme during the lifetime of the programme.
The draft amendment was highlighted at the meeting by Councillor Brian Meaney, chairman of the Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (TACC), who described it as a “generally positive document”. 
Councillor Frankie Neylon raised concerns about some Travellers moving into private estates, “with no consideration for the person living next door with a mortgage” adding “we have laws in this country for everybody”. He added, “There are a lot of people from the town of Ennis whose sons and daughters can’t get a flat here.” 
Councillor Johnny Flynn described the amount of spending on Traveller accommodation and the level of vacant units as “disturbing”.
“€20 million has been spent on the special needs of a small sector of society and the investment has been undermined by the behaviour of certain sectors of that community,” he said.
Councillor Tommy Brennan pointed out the local authority has “over 1,000 people waiting on houses in this town” and he commented that anybody refusing accommodation should go to the bottom of the housing list. He argued that Ennis Town Council has not had a proper allocation of social housing in years. “We’re told we can use NAMA houses but there are no NAMA houses in Ennis,” he said.
“It’s high time we had a proper allocation, a lot of people are in dire need,” he said.
Councillor Peter Considine raised concerns about amendment 11 of the draft policy, outlining that Government policy on social housing provision places “increasing significance on meeting housing needs via the private sector”.
“The HSE can land whomever they like in a private sector estate, irrespective of previous behaviour,” he said. He added that there should be a way of auditing “people who are seemingly unemployed and they have the resources to be the flashiest people in town”.
Councillor Meaney stated the amendments highlight a number of positive actions being carried out by Clare County Council, including the encouragement of Traveller tenants to participate in the upkeep of their area. The council’s piloting of a project of community development and tenancy engagement and training is also seen as a positive. The council also plans to develop a master plan during the remaining lifetime of the programme in relation to the oldest group scheme of houses allocated to Travellers at the Watery Road.
Councillor Meaney stated the TACC is “very much aware of the problems that are there, there are a number of pilot projects that are very positive but it is an uphill task”.
He outlined that some Travellers have refused housing from the council due to “intimidation from their own people”. “There needs to be a follow through with prosecutions from the gardaí where intimidation has occurred but there is a code of silence,” he said.