Neighbours from hell: Kilkenny Deputy Mayor calls for crackdown on anti-social tenants
By COLIN BARTLEY
KILKENNY’S Deputy Mayor wants action taken against people in local authority and traveller accommodation who are making life hell for their neighbours and communities.
Fianna Fáil councillor John Coonan publicly urged Kilkenny County Council to be stronger when dealing with problem tenancies.
Cllr Coonan claimed “decent, honourable” people are being subjected to intimidation, rubbish piles, burning rubbish, uncontrolled dogs, noise pollution and arguments occurring at all times day and night.
The Deputy Mayor told KCLR’s Eimear Ni Bhraonáin: “It is not good enough to have people who are persisting in abusing the system, abusing the housing they are living in and abusing the community in which they live as well.
“Whatever we have to do to increase enforcement we should do it. We have to face this unacceptable behaviour, confront it and deal with it.”
Cllr Coonan said the council has a responsibility to the wider community and those people living in areas where anti-social behaviour is occurring. It is time they acted to stop that behaviour.
“Apart from the responsibility of local authority for the provision of quality housing, the tenants of all local authority housing also have a responsibility to maintain the house and the environment around them. Everybody has an onus to look after that house they have been provided, both in the travelling community and the settled community.”
Kilkenny County Council employs two tenant liaison officers to deal with housing issues. A third officers works with the travelling community as a liaison officer.
However, Cllr Coonan said he wants see these positions delivering results.
“I got a commitment from the council that they are stepping up activity to combat the unacceptable anti-social behaviour. They said they will followup complaints with house to house inspections, starting immediately. People will be asked for evidence of waste disposal, receipts etc. The vast, vast majority of people living in these housing schemes are hard-working, decent, honourable people, who work hard to mind their premises,” he added.
“It is infuriating for people living in these areas, and infuriating for the council, that this type of behaviour happens. There is a small percentage of people persisting in this anti-social behaviour and the rest of the community is suffering as a result.”
PHOTO: File image
