No Offaly application to Affordable Housing Fund says local TD

THE Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien has confirmed to Independent TD Carol Nolan that Offaly County Council has, to date, not submitted an application to the Government’s Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) which is available to assist all local authorities in bringing forward affordable housing schemes.

Providing details on the matter, the minister stated that Laois County Council has recently submitted an application for AHF assistance for 13 affordable purchase homes in Stradbally and that work is underway in assessing this proposal.

“I raised this matter last October with the Minister and at that point both County Councils had not submitted any application to the Affordable Housing Fund. Since then, however, as the minister has now confirmed, Laois has done so and is in the process of bringing on stream 13 urgently need homes,” said Deputy Nolan.

“I want to make it clear that I am not criticising Offaly County Council staff who I know are genuinely trying their level best under extraordinarily challenging circumstances. The volume of housing applications they have to try and process is substantial.

“However, we absolutely do need to understand why Offaly County Council has not made an application to the affordable housing fund. Are their problems with the application process or the design of the fund? Are the parameters too strict? We need clarity on this matter because I have people coming to my offices every single week desperately in need of affordable housing.

“Minister O’Brien informs me that it is still open to Offaly County Council to develop an affordable purchase scheme in any area where localised affordability challenges are identified. That is something I would like to see happen as soon as possible,” concluded Deputy Nolan.