Agenda and draft minutes

Agreed : Minutes Agreed

The Chairperson welcomed Cllr Máire Devine as replacement member for former Cllr Criona Ni Dhálaigh and, on behalf of the Committee, recognised Cllr Ni Dháilaigh’s immense contribution and commitement to the Housing SPC over many Council terms.

No Correspondence Received

No correspondence received

1. Report from Public Housing Working Group

2. Report from Rental Model Review Working Group

The Chairperson recognised the contribution of members and acknowledged the valuable input from Ms Aine Wellard (member) who shared her experiences as a visually impaired tenant. The Chairperson also thanked the Housing Rent section, in particular Tara Roberston, Administrative Officer for supporting the Working Group.

The final report was discussed and, in particular, the recommendations regarding extending the current rent model beyond current income thresholds to allow a more inclusive public housing model, accessibility issues and rent arrears management

The following considerations were raised:

·         Contribution of rents towards housing and maintenance costs

·         Complexity of circumstances giving rise to rent arrears

·         Profile of tenants’ income

·         Range of income levels with regard to arrears – significant proportion of higher income households in arrears

·         Role and compatibility of legislation

·         Potential for voluntary op-in to direct debit from welfare supports and employment to support rent payment

·         External Arrears collection not an option

Agreed: Dublin City Council Management to arrange for a financial analysis on the extension of the current rent model to allow for a more inclusive public housing model as proposed by the Public Housing Working Group

Agreed: Accessibility Recommendations 

Agreed : Rent Arrears Recommendations

Chairperson recognised the contributions of the members of the Working Group and their support for the process and the final report. The Chairperson also thanked the Housing Supply section, in particular Bernie Roe, Senior Executive Officer for supporting the Working Group.

The final report was discussed and in particular the recommendations regarding the agreed definition of public housing, the approach to transition to a more inclusive housing model, a land management and acquisition approach to future proof housing supply and a public housing pilot.

The following considerations were raised:

·         Aligning a new public housing rental model with capital and maintenance

·         State/Ministerial support for a new public housing model

·         Financial costs pertinent to borrowing and construction

·         Accessing land into the future

Agreed : Dublin City Council Management to arrange for a financial analysis to be conducted on the model proposed to ascertain sustainability, viability and scalability. 

Claire McManus, SPC member and RIAI representative, gave a presentation on compact growth.

The presentation was discussed and the following considerations were raised:

·         Compact growth compared to urban sprawl

·         The advantages of compact growth

·         The cost and affordability of building that supports compact growth

·         Current tax and financial arrangement incompatibility with encouraging compact growth

Agreed : Presentation noted

Presentation

Agreed : Defer agenda point 5 the December SPC meeting

The Lord Mayor provided a verbal update on the work of the Task Force on Homelessness detailing the task force’s weekly meetings, the sharing of experiences by homeless service users with the taskforce, the task force’s discussions on supporting homeless person who have complex needs and proposed communication with the Minister of Housing, Planning and Local Government. 

Agreed : N/A

Next Meeting currently scheduled for Wednesday 11^th November

The Chairperson advised members of a briefing for SPC Councillors and Councillors of the North Central Area Committee on construction costs

The following considerations were raised

·         Poolbeg Update

·         AHB Memorandum  of Understanding

Chairperson thanked members for their participation

Cllr. Alison Gilliland

CHAIRPERSON