Clara housing list needs to be tackled - election candidate

An independent candidate running in June"s local elections has expressed his astonishment at the disproportionate number of vacant council houses in Clara and the number of applicants on the housing list. 'I requested figures under the Freedom of Information Act from Offaly County Council and am amazed to find that the council owns 15 houses in the area that are vacant and there are 75 applicants awaiting accommodation who have specified Clara as their first preference,' said Frank Moran, who lives in Clara. Mr Moran said that considering the seriousness of the issue, he is making this a priority objective in his candidacy manifesto. 'This to me is totally and utterly unacceptable, people are crying out to be housed, and some living in sub-standard accommodation and overcrowded situations, some have been awaiting accommodation for periods of 3 years and more,' said Mr Moran. Offaly County Council said it is council policy to carry out works and bring the house up to modern standards. 'I appreciate that works need to be carried out prior to someone moving in, however one particular dwelling has been unoccupied for a period of over one year,' said Mr Moran. He"s also calling on the current councillors to put pressure on the council to speed up the process of making houses available for those on the housing list, as they have automatic access to the information.