58 tenants left owing thousands in rent following council cock-up

Several council house tenants have been left thousands of euro in arrears on their rent because of a cock-up by the local authority.

Louth County Council recently carried out a rent review of all its tenants with question marks emerging in 58 cases over what should have been paid and what was actually paid after what was described as being a “misinterpretation” of the rent scheme.

In one of the cases a woman who believed she was in credit on her account is now €13,000 in arrears.

There were 500 cases from this summer’s review where more money was owed to the council than had been originally thought. It was revealed at Monday’s County Council meeting that 58 of those were the council’s own fault while the remaining 442 were due to undeclared incomes, with one tenant owing more than €20,000 as a result of this.

The rent arrears owed to the council have increased by 65% in just under a year from €1,951,000 in July 2014 to €3,215,000 in August this year.

The matter in relation to the 58 is solely in relation to Dundalk, with the former town council interpreting things wrongly when calculating rents. In Drogheda the rents were properly calculated.

Cllr Maria Doyle

Commenting on the matter on the Michael Reade Show on LMFM yesterday, Cllr Maria Doyle of Fine Gael hit out at the council’s handling of the matter.

“There’s a few problems here that we need to look at,” she said.

“Firstly the council has a poor record on debt collection in general, not just in terms of rents but rates. In my opinion they haven’t done anything really yet to tackle the rent arrears problem and it’s increasing every month.”

Cllr Doyle said rent reviews needed to be carried out more regularly.

“I’ve been told they hadn’t carried out a rent review in three years and really it should be an annual review.

“There’s another issue that if you have undeclared income you should let the council know but that information would be captured if the rent reviews were done more regularly.”

Also speaking on LMFM, Cllr Mark Dearey of the Green Party said he had sympathy for the 58 tenants affected by the council’s error.

Cllr Mark Dearey

“It’s utterly unwelcome news for the 58 households who find themselves in arrears not due to any deceit on their part but because of an error in how the legislation was interpreted in Dundalk.

“The problem seems to primarily in Dundalk and dates back quite a period because you don’t build up those sort of arrears in a year. It could take many years to build up.

“At the very minimum people have been getting undercharged through no fault of their own. I asked why previous county managers had not seen this trend between the two towns and I was taken aback by the reaction I got but, leaving that aside, the question remains how long is this going on for and why did nobody spot it? I think those questions need to be answered.”

Cllr Dearey said those affected shouldn’t have their lives “impaired” by the council error, pointing out they may now struggle to get the likes of a credit union loan because of the debt against their name.

“The 58 households in this particular bind, payment plans may be put in place for them but nevertheless they have debt against their names now.

“There may well be a challenge through the Ombudsman from one of these households and it seems to me they would have a strong case.

“A writedown won’t be considered but some of this can’t be paid. There are people who take the council as a soft touch and won’t pay in any shape or form but other people do need assistance,” he said.

Ard Dealgan apartments could be used for housing once more

Cllr Jennifer Green

Sinn Féin Councillor Jennifer Green has welcomed comments by the head of the Housing Department at today’s Louth County Council meeting which suggest the local authority will look to house people in the Ard Dealgan apartments on Quay Street.

The housing officer made his comments in response to a motion from fellow Cllr Mark Dearey that the authority work with housing bodies to redevelop site.

The apartments have been idle since 2009 due to fire safety concerns but Cllr Green, who arranged a picket at the apartments recently, said she would welcome them being used for housing once more.

“I welcome the fact that Louth council are now going to explore a residential option for these flats. There are 73 units there that could have housed 73 families and we have a housing crisis in Louth with 4,652 people on the housing list.”

Councillor Green has worked tirelessly on this issue and intends to “follow these developments very closely” and has called for the council to waste no time in this and to “help bring an end to this nightmare.”

She added: “The residents in the area have had enough. Let’s hope we can find a resolution in this.”

More than 3,000 under the age of 25 in Louth not registered to vote

More than 3,000 people in Co Louth under the age of 25 are not registered to vote, according to new figures compiled by the National Youth Council.

In the build-up to the marriage equality referendum on May 22^nd, the youth council found that 3,220 people in Louth between the ages of 18-25 had not been added to the electoral register as yet.

Any young person who is 18 years of age on or before May 22nd is eligible to vote. If you are not currently registered, you can do so by downloading and filling in the RFA2 form at www.checktheregister.ie. This form must be brought to and stamped at a Garda Station where the applicant is required to bring ID and then return it to the local authority before close of business on Tuesday May 5th next.

Council cut backs not helping road conditions, insists Sharkey

Cllr Tomás Sharkey

Louth County Councillor Tomás Sharkey has claimed that yesterday morning’s icy road conditions had been badly handled by the local authority.

There were a number of minor incidents on local roads yesterday as temperatures plumetted with Cllr Sharkey insisting that the reduction in road gritters was a major factor.

Although outside of council control, there were nine road accidents reported on the M1 motorway yesterday morning – five north of Dundalk and four near Drogheda. A man also remains in a critical but stable condition following a crash at Muchgrange in Carlingford on Friday night while there was also a single vehicle accident near Fitzpatrick’s pub at Rockmarshall last night.

With temperatures again low last night and expected to plummet even further tonight, road users are urged to be cautious once more.

However, Cllr Sharkey feels cost cutting within the council hasn’t helped the situation.

“Some months ago Louth Councty Council management informed us that they were cutting the fleet of gritting appliances from 7 to 4. They claimed the same amount of roads as last year would be gritted in the same amount of time but with nearly half the appliances. They also claimed that this would save €180,000.

“The morning of the 27th December has proven that the new arrangement is a failure and is putting lives at risk. I understand that the routes to be gritted cannot and are not being gritted in the appropriate period of time. I also understand that there is a knock on effect on the M1 motorway in Louth because a contractor tasked with that motorway is also drafted in to help grit regional and county roads, thus overstretching the service.

“Not only did the team of Sinn Fein Councillors in Louth object to this new arrangement when it was first announced, I tried to quiz management on its failings at the December monthly council meeting and have been requesting clarification from customer services in the council. I have received no clarification but will be raising it again,” said the Sinn Féin representative.

Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Scheme up for top energy award today

Cox’s Demesne

The Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Scheme will battle it out today for one of Europe’s top energy awards.

The scheme is nominated for an ‘Ace Award’ for its work in improving the energy efficiency of homes.

The awards are taking place in Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Dundalk Town Council carried out energy-efficiency upgrades on more than 600 homes in the estate, which included energy-efficient insulation, boiler installations, draught-proofing and the installation of heating controls.

Many of the homes in the estate have seen their BERs increase from an E2 rating to a C1 rating as a result of the scheme.

All of the work was carried out free-of-charge by the local authority and private residents from the area thanks to a unique Public Private Partnership between the local authority, the SEAI and Electric Ireland.

Project manager Stephen Cull is attending the ceremony on behalf of the council.

Cllr Green expresses concern at rise in anti-social behaviour at Ard Dealgan apartments

Cllr Jennifer Green at the Ard Dealgan complex

Sinn Féin Councillor Jennifer Green has expressed her outrage at what she described as ‘a sinister escalation of the anti-social behaviour around the Ard Dealgan apartments.’

The Ard Dealgan apartments are situated in Quay Street, Dundalk and the complex is officially listed as a derelict site. There have been a number of fires, bits of the property being thrown down onto the street and general anti-social behaviour around it since they were completed and immediately declared unfit for habitation.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the adjacent Clarkes Pub was broken into by thieves who jumped from the Ard Dealgan roof onto the pub. Cllr Green said “they lifted the tiles off the roof from Clarkes Pub, climbed into the attic and then smashed through the ceiling to access the top floor of the property. The Pub is also home to the Clarke family and they then tried to break down Mrs Clarke’s bedroom door.”

Cllr Green has been highlighting this issue for some time now but said “this turn of events has brought the issue to a head.”

She said: “Dundalk Town Council spent €50,000 a couple of years ago securing the building but it was inadequate. The Council are refusing to put any more into it. Our TD and Party President Gerry Adams raised this issue at government level, as the property is supposedly owned by NAMA. The Minister at the time Phil Hogan referred him back to the local authority. Someone has to take ownership here before someone gets badly hurt or worse. This complex needs to be demolished.”

The property was rumoured to have been sold on but no-one can confirm this.

It is believed that up to 50-60 people are using the Ard Dealgan building in one form or another and it is being used as a squat for drug-users to come and go as they please. Cllr Green said: “During the summer, they had parties and barbeques on the roof. The situation is farcical. Residents live in fear they are going to be attacked or broken into and now it has happened. They are constantly subjected to verbal abuse but this turn of events is very worrying.”

New look Louth County Council to meet for the first time this morning

The offices of Louth County Council

The first meeting of the new Louth County Council will take place later today.

This will be the first gathering of the local authority since the recent local elections and the abolition of the town and borough councils.

At the meeting the first chairperson of the new look council is expected to be decided.

The new council is made up of the following:

Dundalk South (7) – Tomás Sharkey (Sinn Féin), Declan Breathnach (Fianna Fáil), Maeve Anna Yore (Independent), Kevin Meenan (Sinn Féin), Jennifer Green (Sinn Féin), Maria Doyle (Fine Gael), Marianne Butler (Green Party).

Dundalk Carlingford (6) – Edel Corrigan (Sinn Féin), Peter Savage (Fianna Fáil), Jim Loughran (Sinn Féin), John McGahon (Fine Gael), Mark Dearey (Green Party), Conor Keelan (Fianna Fáil).

Ardee (6) – Pearse McGeough (Sinn Féin), Colm Markey (Fine Gael), Liam Reilly (Fianna Fáil), Tom Cunningham (Sinn Féin), Dolores Minogue (Fine Gael), Jim Tenanty (Independent).

Drogheda (10) – Imelda Munster (Sinn Féin), Paul Bell (Labour Party), Alan Cassidy (Sinn Féin), Tommy Byrne (Fianna Fáil), Kenneth Flood (Sinn Féin), Frank Godfrey (Independent), Kevin Callan (Fine Gael), Oliver Tully (Fine Gael), Richie Culhane (Fine Gael), Pio Martin Smith (Labour Party).

Harkin facing fines over election posters in Dundalk

MEP Marian Harkin may be still celebrating her re-election to the European Parliament but she will be brought back down to earth in a hurry with a potentially massive fine hanging over her from Louth County Council.

All election posters had to be removed by midnight last night, otherwise fines of €150 per poster would kick in.

However, dozens of the independent candidate’s posters could still be seen throughout Dundalk this morning.

Talk of the Town counted around 10 along Jocelyn Street and Seatown Place alone while there are several more along the Ardee Road, The Crescent and Anne Street.

If you spot any other election posters be sure to let us know by emailing news@talkofthetown.ie

UPDATE: We are told Green Party councillor Marianne Butler also has a few stray posters – one on the Marlbog Road in Haggardstown and another few around Blackrock.

Election posters must be removed by midnight

Election candidates have until midnight tonight to remove all of their election posters or face fines from the local authority.

Candidates, elected or not, will be fined for each poster still standing from tomorrow.

If you spot any that were missed be sure to let us know

Council offices to close on May 26th

The offices of Louth County Council

The offices of Louth County Council, Drogheda Borough Council, Dundalk Town Council and Ardee Town Council will close to the public on Monday 26^th May for the purpose of facilitating the transition of staff and equipment necessary to provide the delivery of a single local authority service county wide.

Following the local elections on May 23rd, Drogheda Borough Council, Dundalk Town Council and Ardee Town Council will cease to exist.

Offices will reopen on Tuesday 27^th May.