4,000 people ‘will be forced onto the streets’ by cutbacks

MORE THAN 4,000 Cork people will be forced to protest on the streets if the plan to cutback the rent allowance scheme is implemented in next week’s Budget, Labour councillor Michael O’Connell has claimed.

Social Welfare Minister Mary Coughlan revealed in the Book of Estimates that she plans to cut rent allowance for people on the local authority housing list for the first six months they are in private rented accommodation.

But Cllr Michael O’Connell told Cork City Council that any interference in the rent allowance scheme would have a devastating effect on over 4,000 people’s ability to rent a house on the private market.