Sinn Féin TD for Kerry has slammed the government for failing to resource local authorities and allowing public homes to lie empty in the middle of a housing emergency.
His comments come as freedom of information data released to Sinn Féin by Kerry County Council show that local authorities homes are boarded up in Kerry longer than any other county in Ireland.
Teachta Daly said there is nothing more insulting to those impacted by the ‘housing emergency’ than the sight of a perfectly good home left empty.
“Each of these homes should have a family living in them, children growing up within those four walls. Instead, these homes are empty and children are growing up in hotels. That is beyond scandalous.
Sick and Tired of Excuses
“I am sick and tired of the government’s excuses and broken promises. They try to blame everyone but themselves. The reality is that this is an issue in all local authorities and in far too many communities because of their failings. They do not provide enough funding to maintain homes and they do not provide enough funding to return them to use.
“Families in Kerry are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot. We know that these cause dumping and anti-social behaviour.
Stigmatising Decent Communities
“They stigmatise decent communities and for people in Kerry they are a constant reminder of the government’s failures.
“Kerry County Council should be funded to do their job. Instead, red-tape and bureaucracy coupled with underfunding leave homes empty for years.
“While the situation is bad everywhere, the situation is even worse in Kerry. There are houses that have been boarded up for close to a decade in Kerry – far longer than anywhere else in the country.
“For example, only one other county – Wicklow – has to houses that been lying idle for as long as seven years.
18 Houses Idle in Kerry Empty
But in Kerry, there are 18 houses that have empty much longer than that. In fact, most of them have been left to rot for closer to 10 years.
“Is it any wonder when Kerry country council have the longest average turn around time by far compared to any other local authority? A staggering 65 weeks.
“The dire situation in Kerry is further highlighted by the fact that over 30% of the houses boarded up in the country for over three years are in the Kingdom.
“To add insult to injury, Kerry County Council’s Social Housing Maintenance Budget is just €2,141,307 – far lower than many other counties who are still performing dismally, albeit not as bad as Kerry.
A Damning Indictment
“That is absolutely scandalous. It is a damning indictment of this government, in particular the four government and government supporting TDs who claim to represent the people of Kerry.
“These empty homes are a constant reminder of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. If they cared about our communities, about families and about children growing up in hotels, these homes would not be empty for years on end. They should be moving heaven and earth to ensure families are making memories in these four walls.
“It is disgusting that there are adults stuck living in their parent’s back bedroom while the house next door is boarded up and empty.
Boarding Planes for Australia
“There are young people boarding planes to start lives in Australia when they could be starting lives in these empty homes and that there are children walking home from school today past empty homes to the hotel room they share with their entire family.
“I can guarantee that a Sinn Féin government would not stop until long-term vacancy in council homes had been ended. We would cut the red tape and end the bureaucracy.
“We would do everything to ensure that nobody watches homes rot while they cannot access secure accommodation.
“Please join Sinn Féin on June 21st in Cork at 2pm at the national monument.
“We are sick of dereliction. We are sick of empty homes. We are sick of unaffordable rents and house prices. We are sick and tired of this housing emergency, it is time for action,” said Teachta Daly in conclusion.
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