Cork City Council ‘failing most vulnerable tenants’, says housing activist

Cork City Council is failing some of its most vulnerable tenants, abandoning them in appalling living conditions, and neglecting to meet some of their most basic human rights, a housing activist has alleged.

The claim was made after a 60-year-old council tenant with a number of disabilities told The Echo he had received no contact from the council in two months, despite living in a mould-covered bedsit which the council has said it intends to demolish.

Terry O’Brien has lived in a social housing flat on Noonan’s Rd for more than eight years, and — like most of the homes in the 60-year-old buildings — it is prone to extreme damp and black mould.

Mr O’Brien suffers from a number of disabilities, living with limited mobility caused by injured hips and knees, and says his lungs are “destroyed” by the mould and damp in his flat.

Transfer

Mr O’Brien says he requested a transfer more than a year ago. Two months ago, he received a phone call from a council employee — but has heard nothing since.

The council flats on Noonan’s Rd, St Finbarr’s Rd, Fort St, and Dean St were built in the 1960s and were originally planned to have a 50-year lifespan.

The flats — according to tenants — have long since become prone to cold, damp, black mould, and rodent infestation.

Last year, a campaign by residents — led by housing activist William O’Brien and highlighted in The Echo — resulted in the then chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty, describing living conditions in the flats as “shocking”.

In September 2023, the council told tenants it favoured rehousing them and demolishing the flats.

Now, there are approximately 30 tenants left in the 90-odd Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd flats. However, the 38 flats on Fort St and Dean St remain mostly occupied.

'Total injustice'

Reacting to Terry O’Brien’s situation, William O’Brien — who is not related to Terry — said it was “a total injustice” that vulnerable people were being left in damp and mouldy flats the council intends to knock.

“Terry is a council tenant, he pays his rent, he is a person Cork City Council seems to have abandoned.

“He’s living in atrocious conditions in a block of flats that the council has admitted is not fit for purpose, and it seems to me that the council is failing to meet some of his basic human rights as a tenant,” he said.

“He’s in a bedsit that is making him sick, and he has nobody explaining his rights to him, nobody in the council looking out for him. He needs a tenant support officer to help him.

“Terry gets a phone call from a council employee, but there’s nothing in writing. There’s nothing to back up the conversation and here he is, two months later, none the wiser as to whether he’ll get a new place or not.”

Terry O’Brien said he was on the city council’s online choice-based letting system, but hadn’t seen anything that would suit him.

He agreed that he needed help from a tenant support officer.

In November and December, William O’Brien sent emails on Terry’s behalf and, they both said, no response came back.

Medical condition

Earlier this month, another Noonan’s Rd tenant, Dan Galvin, who has a serious medical condition, claimed that when he told the council he was not computer literate and thus was unable to use the letting system, he had been sent a users’ guide to the online system.

William O’Brien described this as “a further illustration that Cork City Council doesn’t seem to get its responsibilities as a landlord”.

“Failing tenants with disabilities on an interpersonal level is a total injustice,” William O’Brien said.

“It is surely a basic human right in 2024, almost 2025, that tenants be treated with basic dignity and shown the smallest bit of respect, and Cork City Council really needs to appoint tenant support officers to help vulnerable people.”

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said the Noonan's Road project was a top priority.

“We are currently focusing on relocating all residents to suitable properties, ensuring a smooth transition to support the planned regeneration of the area. Resident engagement is central to this process, and we are actively collaborating with tenants to address their needs and concerns, ensuring they are well-informed and supported throughout their relocation.

“The contact programme is well advanced, and we have supported a large number of residents to transfer to date. It is important to note that this engagement process takes time, as we must discuss and agree on the individual requirements and preferences of tenants, considering available property options as they arise.

“Cork City Council does not comment on individual cases. However, the residents involved are included in our ongoing engagement programme and will continue to be supported in this relocation process.”