CALLS FOR HOUSING OFFICER APPOINTMENT IN FERMOY
Fermoy Town Council has called on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD to appoint a housing officer to the Fermoy electoral area.
The call comes on foot of claimed long delays, up to 12 weeks and more in some cases, in relation to applications for rent allowance. These delays are, it is claimed, being caused by a change in the criteria for applying for rent allowance where applicants now also have to be on the housing list before any such application is entertained.
Speaking to The Avondhu, Cllr Tadhg O’Donovan said, “The present housing officers are now snowed under with an enormous workload as a result of the new directive. Fermoy is badly in need of its own official to examine rent allowance claims and process housing applications.”
Cllr O’Donovan added, “Previous to this, applications for rent allowance were normally dealt with by the community welfare officer.”
“Traditionally the role of the housing officer was confined to making recommendations as to who should secure local authority housing. Now, they have the extra duties on top of that.
“The real victims of the current situation are to people who are attempting to get on the local authority housing list. The overworked housing officers are frustrated with a situation that must be tackled to prevent hardship being created for an ever growing number of people in the Fermoy region,” the town councillor concluded.
Published:
Thursday 24th June 6:26pm
