House buyers raffle for 40 houses

ALMOST 600 young people desperate to secure their own homes have had to enter a raffle to be in with a chance of getting a place to live.

The huge pressure on the State-backed Affordable Housing Scheme was highlighted in one local authority where only 40 houses were available for almost 600 applicants.

All these people were equally eligible for the scheme so Cork City Council had no option but to pull the names from a hat and offer the below-market price houses for sale to the first 40, Fine Gael Environment and Local Government spokesman Bernard Allen said.