Council approved for 14 new posts to help meet social housing targets

Meath County Council has been approved for 14 additional staff in its housing department - the highest allocation in the country - to assist in meeting its social housing targets.

The new posts are among 211 announced for housing departments around the country by Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien last week to assist housing delivery teams in local authorities.

Meath was sanctioned for the most number of posts in the country, which will be at various grades, and will include nine technical and five administrative roles.

The additional staffing has been welcomed by Meath County Council's Director of Housing Barry Lynch who said: "The increase in staff results from a submission made by the council to a comprehensive review of resources carried out by the local government Housing Delivery Coordination Office.

The new staff will be assigned to various areas including social and affordable housing, regeneration projects and asset management and will also continue the productive working relationship which has developed with the approved housing bodies in recent years."

Mr Lynch said recruitment is already underway with a view to having the enhanced delivery team in place as early as possible in the new year.

"Work is also ongoing on a detailed Housing Delivery Action Plan to meet the challenging targets set for social housing delivery over the next five years of 1,525 additional units. This builds on delivery of 1,211 units through various mechanisms over the past four years.

The plan will also deal with affordable housing delivery and in this regard the council currently has a call for proposals for advance purchase of uncommenced housing developments. Details can be accessed on our website," he said.

The additional staff will help the council reach ambitious social housing targets as set out by the government to help address the housing crisis.

In Meath, the Council is currently working on its annual review of the overall housing list with the gross list standing at approximately 4,000.

Mr Lynch explained that when HAP tenancies and certain transfer applicants are deducted, the net housing need in Meath is just over 1,600 households.

The Homeless Settlement Team assisted 197 households to move on from emergency accommodation in the 10 months to 31st October at which point 163 households were in emergency accommodation.

The additional 211 posts announced for local authority housing departments across the country by Minister O'Brien are to support delivery of 'Housing for All', the government's new housing plan, which commits to strengthening the capacity of local authorities to initiate, design, plan, develop and manage housing projects.

Posts announced include a wide range of positions from engineers to quantity surveyors and architects with provision also made for the necessary administrative resources.

Commenting Minister O’Brien said: “In September this year, the Government published our new housing strategy, ‘Housing for All’ to deliver nearly 90,000 new build social homes by 2030 and we have put a very clear focus on the delivery of new build projects.

“My Department has been working with the Housing Delivery Coordination Office (HDCO) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) to identify capacity limitations and additional staffing resources required to deliver our objectives.

“With the approval of these new posts, we are ensuring that all local authorities have the capacity to deliver the scale of social housing delivery required,” he said.

Cllr Noel French welcomed the new posts to assist councils in delivering their social housing targets but said he remains concerned about housing for people who are trying to get a mortgage and find afforable housing, something he said he once again raised with Tanaiste Leo Vardakar at a recent meeting in Trim.