Bray Town Council needs to clean up their own backyard

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has called on Bray Town Council to put a maintenance plan in place to deal with the considerable land banks they hold around the town. Many of the land banks were obtained by the council for housing purposes, however a change of government policy has resulted in no new social housing being constructed, so not only is their policy creating a housing crisis it is also resulting in urban blight. The councillor made his comments after meeting with concerned residents from the Parnell Road area in Bray town centre.

Cllr Brady said "Over the the few months i have received a large number of complaints from residents from throughout the town about the condition of council owned properties and land. Unfortunately little or no action has been taken by the council to address the concerns expressed by the residents. Recently i met with residents from the Parnell Road area in Bray town centre, they are looking for the old Central Garage site on the road to be cleaned up. They where shocked when i informed them that the site is owned by Bray Town Council."

Cllr Brady continued "The old Central Garage site was acquired by Bray Town Council under Part V of the Housing Act and it was intended for the construction of social housing. Unfortunately a change of government policy has resulted in the curtailment of the construction of all social housing. This has resulted in the site on Parnell Road and other council owned sites that were acquired under the same process becoming derelict, overgrown, full of rubbish and magnets for anti-social behaviour."

Cllr Brady went on to say "Only this week we got some positive news that Bray has improved its score in the Tidy Towns competition, full credit must go to the council outdoor staff and the volunteers in the Bray Tidy Town group, however if action is not taken to tackle the serious problem that the site on Parnell Road and others around the town are becoming they could very quickly unravel the good work that is being done."

"Whilst we await a change of government policy to allow something to happen with these sites the council officials must direct additional resources and put in place a management plan to tackle the council owned eye sores which are located throughout the town, including the one on Parnell Road which is is just off the towns main shopping thoroughfare. The issue has been reported to the council, but unfortunately no action has been seen on the ground, people are now legitimately asking why they were forced to pay a property tax" concluded Brady

Brady slams Council for sending Mothers and Children to Homless Shelter in Rathdrum

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady has labelled the
Housing crisis in Wicklow as despicable, he also stated that the
actions of Bray Town Council in sending young families to a homeless
shelter in Rathdrum as a totally unacceptable solution to the crisis.

Councillor Brady stated "The housing crisis in Wicklow is continuing
to spiral out of control, there are 4,154 families in Wicklow in need
of social housing. Over the last 2 years the situation facing families
has dramatically deteriorated and its now resulted in young families
being referred to a homeless shelter in Rathdrum. The current
government policy has put a stop to the construction of social housing
and a new policy of social leasing enacted. The government has also
cut the amount paid for rental assistance which is forcing people out
of their private rented accommodation because the landlords are
unwilling to reduce the rent. This coupled with a huge shortage to
houses under the Rental Accomodation Scheme (RAS) have created a
ticking housing time bomb that's about to explode."

Cllr Brady went on "I am currently dealing with a number of families
who have been and are in the process of being made homeless. One young
mother from Bray and her 3 children were sent to the homeless shelter
in Rathdrum last week were they still remain. She had to move out of
her private rented accommodation because the landlord needed the house
back for another family member. She has been unable to find another
house in Bray within her price bracket and has had to present herself
and her children as homeless to the Town Council. Even though she has
been on the councils housing list for 7 years the council stated they
have nothing for her and told her to stay with family members or go to
the homeless shelter in Rathdrum, which is 40 km away and served with poor 
public transport."

"It is disgraceful that things have got this bad, but to add insult to
injury for the council to send a young mother with 3 children, one of
which attends school in Bray, to a homeless shelter in Rathdrum is
totally unacceptable. I am aware of at least one other young mother
who is facing the same prospects in 2 weeks time unless action is
taken. This i believe is only the tip of the iceberg, many other
families simply refuse to go to Rathdrum and end up on the floor of a
friend or family member." Brady continued.

He concluded by saying "We need immediate action to be taken in
Wicklow to deal with the housing crisis. It is disgraceful that houses
remain boarded up in Bray whilst young families are forced into a
unsuitable homeless shelter. We need emergency accommodation in Bray
to cater for young families who find themselves homeless and
ultimately we need to force Fine Gael and Labour to get their heads
out of the sand on this issue, we need a change to the flawed housing
policy that's created this human tragedy." Ends