Over 50 council homes lying vacant in Longford as Longford-Westmeath TD slams Government

There are 50 vacant council houses in Longford with almost half of those lying empty for over six months, new figures have revealed.

Longford-Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke has criticised the government for "failing to resource local authorities and allowing public homes to lie empty in the middle of a housing crisis".

The Sinn Féin TD has insisted more funding needs to be provided to county councils as FOI data released to her party by local authorities shows the number of council homes that are currently boarded up across the State.

“There is nothing more insulting to those impacted by the housing crisis than the sight of a good home left empty.

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"Each of these homes should have a family living in them, with their children growing up in those four walls. 

"Instead, these homes are empty and children are growing up in hotels. That is beyond scandalous.

“I am sick and tired of government’s excuses and broken promises," she added.

A breakdown of the vacant council homes showed 50 were vacant out of a total housing stock of 2,267 with 26 lying empty for up to six months and 13 empty between six and 12-months.

Five units have been vacant for 12-to-18 months and six have been empty for between 18 and 24-months 

Deputy Clarke stated 'they try to blame everyone but themselves' for the situation.

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"The reality is that this is an issue in all local authorities and in far too many communities because of their failings. 

"They do not provide enough funding to maintain homes and they do not provide enough funding to return them to use.

 “Families in Longford are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot.

"We know that these cause dumping and anti-social behaviour. 

"They stigmatise decent communities and for people in Longford they are a constant reminder of government’s failures," she added.

 Deputy Clarke insisted local authority should be funded to do their job.

"Instead, red-tape and bureaucracy coupled with underfunding leave homes empty for years in Longford.

 “One in every 46 houses in Longford are vacant. 

"Thirteen of these homes have been vacant between six months to a year, five of them have been vacant between a year and a year and a half, and six of them have been lying vacant for almost two years.

 “These empty homes are a constant reminder of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.  If they cared about our communities, about families and about children growing up in hotels, these homes would not be empty for years on end," she added.

Deputy Clarke stated they should be moving heaven and earth to ensure families are making memories in these four walls.

 “It is disgusting that there are adults stuck living in their parent’s back bedroom while the house next door is boarded up and empty, that there are young people boarding planes to start lives in Australia when they could be starting lives in these empty homes, and that there are children walking home from school today past empty homes to the hotel room they share with their entire family.

“A Sinn Féin government would not stop until long-term vacancy in Council homes had been ended. 

"We would cut the red tape and end the bureaucracy. We would do everything to ensure that nobody watches homes rot while they cannot access secure accommodation.”