Housing Executive asked to consider base closure

Housing Executive asked to consider base closure

30 October 2019

THE Housing Executive has been asked to review its decision to close its sub-office in Ballynahinch.

Located at the town’s Market House building, the office was last manned in May. Rowallane councillor Billy Walker is calling for it to be reopened and is seeking a meeting with senior Executive officials to discuss the matter.

The housing body said while a few tenants have called at the Market House office since May and were greeted by local council staff, their issues were mostly in relation to reporting repairs. 

Housing Executive officials say that having reviewed this year’s attendance, there was an average of eight calls a week to the office — which opened every Thursday — with tenants seeking information of housing benefit issues, repair requests, arrears, housing applications or signing for a property.  

Officials say that these these particular queries can be answered by either the organisation’s patch manager, housing advisors in the Downpatrick office, dealt with onsite, or by the appropriate section. 

The Housing Executive believes that the right staff dealing with each issue leads to a more efficient, customer led service.

And while the organisation says it understands Cllr Walker’s reservations, it believes residents have not been detrimentally affected, but will review the situation in the future.

Cllr Walker said he is “concerned” at the closure, describing the sub-office as a “well used facility”.

Calling for the closure decision to be reviewed, he hopes it will be overturned so that the office can cater for the needs of tenants in Ballynahinch and the surrounding area.

The Rowallane politician said that since the office stopped operating as a result of what he understands to be staffing issues caused by illness, people continued to call at the office looking for help on a variety of issues.

“I only learned of the closure decision last week and am a bit annoyed,” he continued. “The sub-office provided a vital service and I plan to meet with senior Housing Executive officials to discuss what for many is an important issue.

“I have seen at first hand the people who use the sub-office, many of whom do not have access to a car and therefore cannot make their way to the Executive’s main hub in Downpatrick.”

Cllr Walker said closing the sub-office would also impact on tenants with disabilities who would not be able to make their way to Downpatrick to meet with housing officials. 

He added: “People will not believe that there are some tenants who do not have a telephone, either landline or mobile, but this is the case for some.

“For these particular residents, being able to have face-to-face contact with housing officials at the Market House was very important. That cannot happen now.”

Cllr Walker said he has already raised his concerns with the Housing Executive and hopes to meet shortly with senior officials in a bid to persuade them to reopen the office.

He added: “In my opinion, the sub-office was a well used facility and I am deeply disappointed that it has been closed. I hope that it can reopen.”