This article is from page 2 of the 2011-12-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE cost of maintaining and managing each Traveller accommodation unit in Clare that’s managed by Clare County Council is now running at nearly € 7,000 per house – a figure that’s 11 times higher than the average cost towards the upkeep of an ordinary council house.
These startling figures that reveal financial burden on Clare County Council when it comes to Traveller accommodation is contained in the Draft Budget for 2012 that’s now be- ing considered by the 32 members of the local authority. The Clare People has learned that for each of the 63 Traveller accommodation units in the county that’s made up of 50 houses and 13 service bays, Clare County Council will have to pay an average of € 6,904 in maintenance and managing costs during 2012.
And, this huge figure when it comes to spending on each individual unit is magnified by the fact that it average cost towards maintaining Clare County Council housing stock around the county is just € 598.
This figures are revealed against a backdrop last October’s admission from Clare County Council that it has spent € 20 million on Traveller accommodation in Clare since 2001.
“Expenditure on maintenance and legal costs in Traveller accommodation continues at a disproportionate level,” county manager Tom Coughlan has admitted in presenting the council’s Draft Budget to councillors this week.
The 2012 budget includes a sum of € 235,000 for maintenance of the 11 group schemes in the county, a further € 199,750 for management costs and € 128,000 for legal costs, with the county manager outlining the local authority’s efforts at reducing the financial burden because of legal fees.
“The council has made a submission to the department seeking a complete review of the administrative processes involved in referring a complaint to the Director of Equality Investigations and the introduction of regulation to govern these processes,” Mr Coughlan has revealed.