Laois council tenants accused of 'street riots, drug dealing' and child attacks
A Laois councillor has made shocking claims about criminal behaviour by some council tenants that she said is going unchecked.
Claims have been made that children are throwing animal faeces at other children and adults are having street riots, drug dealing and threatening neighbours with weapons.
The Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Cllr Thomasina Connell has claimed that the bad behaviour by council tenants, placed in private estates, is “in many areas out of control”, in Portlaoise and further afield.
She is calling for urgent combined action by the council and Gardaí.
She made her claim at the October 24 monthly meeting, while tabling a motion calling for a simpler complaints form.
“I've received many reports in private housing developments where the council purchased private properties.
“Reports of drug dealing, street riots, threats made to other residents with offensive weapons, children being struck by children of these tenants, and covering them in animal faeces.
“This is absolutely barbaric behaviour.
“The continued lack of response from our council allows behaviours like these to continue," Cllr Connell claimed.
“Everybody deserves to live in a safe, peaceful living environment, without fear of intimidation, continued criminality, drug dealing, unacceptable noise levels from acts of domestic violence or parties that persist into the night.
“I'm asking Laois County Council to take a stand against a very small number of our tenants who choose to engage in these behaviours,” the Laois Cathaoirleach said.
She explained why the complaint form is causing problems.
"The current complaint form to log complaints in relation to Anti Social Behaviour is 15 pages long. Whether it is intended or not, the form makes it a very cumbersome task to actually lodge a complaint about anti social behaviour. I am calling on the Council to review the current form and urgently introduce a simplified version as exists in other Local Authorities," she said.
Cllr Connell said excuses of staff shortages or passing the complaints to the Gardaí are not acceptable.
"In terms of action on Anti Social Behaviour I appreciate that the Estate Management Team is under resourced but we need to do more on this and it is not sufficient to tell those who make a complaint that we don’t have the resources or staff. This is not an answer.
"Neither is it acceptable for the Council to defer this issue to An Garda Siochana.
"A collaborative approach needs to be taken and I would welcome a meeting between the Estate Management Team in Laois County Council and Senior Member of the Gardai to discuss how the intend to tackle the current situation which is in many areas, out of control.
Her motion to the October council meeting was seconded by Cllr John King.
"There is no protection for people who want to live in a happy estate. It only takes one or two difficult tenants. The process to move them on is difficult. It's not fair, it brings down the whole estate. Can you make it a criminal offence for people who continue to break the rules?" Cllr King asked.
Cllrs John Joe Fennelly and Ben Brennan said that council houses that are bought up are then sold on with no control over who moves in.
"You have people selling on and we don't know who to. One bad apple causes uproar. In a council house there are rules and regulations, they have to be enforced," Cllr Brennan said.
The council has agreed to review the form.