Council agrees to make an effort to resolve Respond rift

RENEWED efforts are to be made to heal the serious rift between Limerick City Council and Respond, the voluntary housing agency.

Respond came under renewed attack at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the council, after its announcement that it intends to cease building social housing in Limerick.

But it was decided that talks should continue between council management and Respond.

Following an earlier meeting of the council, Respond announced that it was terminating all future developments in Limerick.

Two members of the council, Cllr Kevin Kiely, FG, and Cllr John Cronin, FF, led the attack on Respond, claiming the mismanagement of the agency’s housing in the Thomondgate area was responsible for serious anti- social behaviour.

Respond in dealing with allegations about anti-social behaviour by some of its tenants stated that the vast majority of the people they house are drawn from the council’s own housing list.

Respond issued a statement hitting out at members of the city council and announced it was terminating all future developments in Limerick.

Since then, behind the scenes efforts have been made by executive staff at City Hall to heal the rift with Respond. But council members continued their offensive on Respond at yesterday’s meeting accusing the agency of “scurrilous” attacks on two council members.

Cllr John Ryan, Lab, said Respond had engaged in a diatribe in its statement after the earlier meeting, where two senior executives got a verbal lashing.

However, it was agreed that further dialogue should continue between the council management and Respond.