No escaping local authority neighbours from hell

The incidents arose when families on the waiting list were moved into houses beside established tenants in the Ballinasloe area and have consequently made life a nightmare for those living there who now want to relocate . . . but can’t.

The lack of houses available for Council tenants means that those living beside undesirable neighbours have to put up with their lot despite Cllr Timmy Broderick and Cllr Dermot Connolly outlining horrific incidents.

But they were told that to resolve this situation was not a simple process. The councillors were informed that “a certain protocol” had to be observed or else there would not be a satisfactory outcome.

Cllr Broderick asked a meeting of Ballinasloe Municipal Council what tenants can do if the Council move in a family next door that make life “an absolute hell for them”.

“Tenants were going about their normal lives and suddenly they are lumbered with an undesirable family beside them. Their whole world has been turned upside down,” he said.

The independent councillor claimed that Galway County Council needed a proper vetting system for applicants on the housing waiting list before allocating them a home. He is urging that the history of those on the waiting list be determined before they are allotted a house.

“I have come across a few situations in which families in local authority accommodation were going about their daily lives only to have another family move in and create untold disruption. They are now looking down a black hole and don’t know where to turn,” Cllr Broderick added.

Cllr Dermot Connolly said that he had also been contacted by Council tenants in similar circumstances. They were living normal lives but everything changed when tenants who are engaging in anti-social behaviour moved in beside them.

“How do we protect people from occupants of houses who are behaving in a certain manner?

“We desperately need to review the whole selection process when it comes to allocating houses. We need to talk to people about people.

“We are faced with a number of chronic situations that need a rapid response. Sometimes things go wrong and people end up in a very vulnerable situation. They are in a hopeless situation and seem to have nowhere to turn”, Cllr Connolly said.

Director of Services Catherine McConnell said that the Council had an anti-social behaviour policy and that a certain procedure had to be followed in order for it to be successfully implemented. She advised that all anti-social behaviour be reported to Galway County Council and the Gardai and she warned against “a knee-jerk reaction”.

But Cllr Michael Connolly (FF) said that tenants were often reluctant to report anti-social behaviour for fear of repercussions so it meant a lot of incidents went unreported.

The problem, he added, was compounded by the fact that tenants living beside ‘neighbours from hell’ did not have the option of being relocated as there are no houses available.