Housing is a real worry for many Wexford people

Cllr Anthony Kelly has said that he is still extremely concerned by new social housing regulations which were passed through Wexford Borough Council last week. Cllr Kelly voted against the motion calling for the introduction of the new regulations and asked that the document be sent back to the minister for review.

“The new regulations have been endorsed by Labour and Fine Gael Councillors,” Cllr Kelly said, “But I would still have very real concerns about the possible effects of these new rules. So would many of my constituents who have already approached me with their fears. I feel that these new regulations are somewhat discriminatory against a certain section of housing applicants. There are serious concerns over the curtailing of the RAS scheme. Many families on the waiting list for social housing avail of this scheme. If they are removed from the scheme, where will they go?”

“The last census stated clearly that there is an abundance of empty houses in this county. One in five Wexford houses was empty on census night. It is morally wrong to deny anyone the chance of a home when we have empty buildings entering a state of decay across County Wexford. We need to address the social problems that these new regulations could cause now and not let them fester until they are incurable. I hope that this new government isn’t going to make similar mistakes to the last one in the way it handled its people in need.”