Council CEO Michael Walsh says they have moved towards evicting people for non payment of rent.
He made the remarks during a discussion about the audit of the local authority for 2018.
It found what one councillor described as 'several red flags'.
The collection rate for rents was 78% that year.
Michael Walsh said.................
"We've actually moved towards evicting people for non payment of rent at the moment. We have had maybe three or four in the last couple of years
and we are going to target about ten a year in that territory that we will be evicting. There's an irony in that context because the minute we do so we
still have a housing obligation to them, but we won't be doing it in the context of a council house if they are evicted for non payment of rents.
He says one measure they introduced is beginning to work.............
"We are not going to do other than emergency repairs for people who are in rental arrears. That rule is absolute, we are not providing housing services to people that are
in rental arrears and we are begining to see impact from that in terms of people coming to the table to actually deal and to start addressing the thing. We are not going to
be unreasonable in any of these areas in terms of peoples capactiy to pay. We are happy to enter into payment plans but people have to recognise that if you want a
house at what is a very subsidised rate then you are going to have to pay, end of.
