COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 08, 2015

MOTION NO.15

MOTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

This Council agrees to ask the LTACC to consider working up a draft caravan loan scheme, similar to that in operation in Fingal County Council, in time to be included in the 2016 budget and possibly to be piloted in 2016 on a site or sites where there is a high level of need for such a scheme.

REPORT:

Section 25 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act provides local authorities with powers to give loans for the provision of private traveller specific accommodation, i.e caravans or sites for caravans. It covers the acquisition of land and the construction of serviced units and hardstand associated with sites for caravans. It also provides for the making of loans for caravan replacement or repair. Loans scheme are subject to specific conditions around repayments and interest as well as duration of the loan.

The Council previously operated a caravan loan scheme to assist families whose caravans are considered to be no longer habitable .  The LTACC considered the matter and decided that the Traveller Development Groups would recommended families for the loans based on their knowledge of them and undertakings received to meet the loan repayments.  146 number of loans totalling €766,080.95 were granted by South Dublin County Council under the scheme.  Repayments to date have totalled €290,154.93 leaving €475,926.02 outstanding. The matter was again discussed by the LTACC in 2013 and 2014  and it was agreed that the scheme was not viable with this level of non-repayment.  Consequently it was decided to discontinue the scheme and no funding has been provided in the Council Budget for loans. The debt outstanding is required to be pursued.

The reintroduction of such a loan scheme would have to be conditional on families wishing to avail of them repaying any outstanding debt as well as signing up for realistic loan repayments through the Household Budget Scheme.