‘No hope in hell’ for singles on housing list

Single people on the waiting list in West Cork have, effectively, not a “hope in hell” of being accommodated by the local authority — but they could “bond” with like-minded people or even get married to boost their chances.

Cllr Joe Carroll, chairman of West Cork Municipal District Council, said he recently had to advise a single man that as Cork Co Council did not build one-bed units anymore, “he’d have a better chance if he got married”.

His disclosure came as the district council heard half the applicants on the coastal region’s housing waiting list were seeking one-bed units.