Cork City Councillors refuse to discuss housing

Cork’s city councillors have refused to discuss housing- related matters in a row over an affordable housing estate.

They refused to discuss the entire housing programme during last night’s council meeting and are planning to maintain their stance unless the row over the designation of houses in Kilbrack Grove, Blackrock, is resolved.

Cllr Terry Shannon (FF) called on the council’s chief executive, Ann Doherty, to intervene.

“I want a root-and-branch review of the council’s housing directorate,” he said. “There are certain personnel who have been there too long and who could do with a change.”

The row spilled over after a long-running argument over the status of nine unsold houses in Kilbrack Grove, an affordable housing estate in Blackrock.

In 2013, officials redesignated six as social houses and signalled plans to sell the remaining three.

Councillors objected and last October, they called for a halt on any moves to redesignate or sell any of the houses, pending a position report.

In the absence of an affordable house buying scheme, it is understood they want to draft a form of disposal that would suit first-time buyers who would have previously been in the affordable housing sector.

However, the city’s head of housing, Dan Buggy, moved in December to redesignate the remaining three houses, which had been earmarked for sale, as social housing.

“That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Mr Shannon said last night.

He accused Mr Buggy of “brazenly ignoring” the wishes of council, a claim Mr Buggy rejected, insisting everything has been done in accordance with the law and the wishes of the Department of the Environment.

He also said he is awaiting the report from councillors outlining their wishes and that he will consider that before making his next move.

But councillors refused to discuss any housing matters last night, which resulted in the council meeting, which normally takes four hours, lasting just under an hour.

They said they will maintain their stance on all official housing issues until the Kilbrack issue is revolved.

Last year, an independent report which has not been published but which has been seen by the Irish Examiner, highlighted several organisational deficiencies in the housing directorate.