Carlow and Kilkenny County councils are going to be buying houses to prevent tenants being evicted.
The government has insisted that this was possible but it hasn’t been happening locally because of issues with the local authority competing with families and first-time buyers to buy on the open market.
And there’s a difficulty in assessing the market value of the houses.
But Kilkenny Cllr Maria Dollard says this will be pushed from now on.
Hear her conversation with our Sue Nunn on last evening’s The Way It Is here:
It’s as a debate on the Sinn Féin motion on the eviction ban took place in the Dáil last night
That’s set to be voted on this afternoon but the Government is now on course to win, after garnering the support of the Regional Independent’s in return for eight amendments.
It means the ban will end on March 31st, something People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, says will lead to an avalanche of homelessness.
However Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s been insisting that the tenant in situ scheme, cost rental housing and measures to keep landlords in the market which will be announced later in the year will make a difference.
Sinn Féin Deputy for Carlow Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion’s been telling KCLR if TDs don’t believe the eviction ban should be allowed to expire then they have to vote against the government.
