Donegal councillors slam council houses ‘not fit for human habitation’

The 100% Redress Party has slammed the ‘horrific conditions’ of council houses in Donegal, with one resident facing a court appearance for rent arrears.

Cllr Joy Beard shared a video of her colleague Cllr Denis McGee who said he was “really angry” that a woman living in an Inishowen council house is being taken to court.

“It's a really sad reflection of where we are as a society,” he said.

“The crux of the whole thing is, there is no scheme for social housing and that’s on the government. But Donegal County Council have a lot to answer for too. They have a duty of care for the people that they put in their houses.

“I'm at this house right now and you wouldn’t put a dog in it. I’m outside because the damp and the smell inside is too much.

“They do have a duty of care, just like a landlord in a private housing estate would have a duty of care to their tenants.”

He said the trial has been postponed to September, but added: “The mental toll on this lady’s life is unreal.”

Cllr Beard posted: “We are in the middle of a housing crisis. Yet instead of showing empathy and understanding, a tenant of Donegal County Council who is living in horrific conditions caused by defective blocks, damp, and mould is being taken to court for rent arrears.

“Let me be clear: this home is not fit for human habitation. No one should be expected to live in these conditions, let alone be penalised for falling into rent arrears as a result of it.

"This woman did not create these conditions. The system did. The very state that placed her there now turns its back and drags her through the courts.

“And she is not alone. There are hundreds of social homes across this county, across this country that are crumbling, damp, unsafe, and degrading to live in. Yet instead of solutions, we see scapegoating. Instead of action, we see blame.

“Where is the humanity? Where is the urgency? It is shocking that in 2025, people are still forced to live in these kinds of conditions, without support, without options, and without justice.

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“We need an immediate moratorium on evictions in unsafe social housing. We need emergency accommodation, fast-tracked assessments, and fully funded repairs not legal threats against those suffering most.”