Cork city councillor claims change made in sewerage policy

A CORK City councillor has claimed that the council has changed its policy regarding tenants’ responsibility for external wastepipes and drains, something denied by City Hall.

Worker’s Party councillor Ted Tynan told The Echo he was aware of a number of council tenants who said they had been told they have to pay a professional company to unblock clogged sewerage pipes.

Mr Tynan said that, in the past, freeing blocked drains had always been the council’s responsibility. However, there appeared to have been a change in policy recently, with tenants now being told that unblocking drainage pipes between their homes and the public sewerage system was now their responsibility.

“The end result of this, what I consider a new policy, is further hardship for tenants who are already struggling to make ends meet. Getting a drain unblocked is something that could cost up to €2,000 and tenants are expected to go away and find that money, maybe take out a loan from the credit union,” Mr Tynan said.

Asked about possible instances where tenants might have blocked drains through their own negligence, Mr Tynan said it was, first and foremost, a matter of public health.

“The council is a public body, local government, and responsible for the healthcare of the citizens of the city. They need to educate people not to be throwing all sorts of stuff down the toilet,” Mr Tynan said.

An email from a then senior engineer at the council’s Housing Maintenance department, dated April 26, 2023, and seen by The Echo, states that in the case of a blockage in a sewer, between the council property and the public sewerage system, the tenant is responsible for the cost of unblocking it.

According to the Cork City Council Tenants’ Handbook, which is available on the council’s website, the council “is responsible for cisterns and water storage tanks, repair of stopcocks, back boilers and hot water cylinders, external wastepipes and drains…” However, under the heading “General”, the handbook states that “The tenant is responsible for the repair of any willful or malicious damage by any person. If Cork City Council undertake [sic] repairs resulting from such damages, the full cost of such repairs will be charged to the tenant”.

Cork City Council denied there had been any change in policy, saying tenants were responsible for cleaning and maintenance of internal plumbing and the sewer, from the property to the public connection.

“If there is uncertainty, our tenants can contact the customer service unit, where the issue will be triaged,” the council told The Echo, adding that, if necessary, “the respective area team” would then investigate.