Issued : Thursday 7 April, 2011

Cllr Gearóid Buckley has welcomed the news that the regulations for the assessment of social housing have been changed.

‘From the 1^st April 2011, three income threshold bands have been established and housing authorities assigned to a band based on an analysis of the local private rental cost of housing accommodation in each area.

‘The income bands are expressed in terms of a maximum net income threshold for a single-person household. This means, for example, that a single person in Cork is eligible to apply for social housing support as long as their net income does not exceed €30,000.

‘For households of more than one person, the income threshold is increased to take account of additional adults and children in the household. The increase in the limits will result in more applications for social housing support, but I believe this is important for achieving sustainable communities and to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn.

‘Social housing is a service of the state for its people. It is good to see the new government introduce social policies that meet the needs of society, which has changed drastically over the past three years.

‘This is a step in the right direction but it needs to be matched with either the allocation of more resources to cater for the increase in applications or else the amalgamation of housing authorities on regional basis.

‘It is also clear from the number on the housing waiting list that housing stocks must be increased. With empty houses right across the country, this is an opportune time for the Government to invest. Local authorities do not have cash for this scale of investment. The Government must break the cycle and introduce a realistic budget for the purchase of Local Authority Housing.’