Elderly face lengthy wait for home repairs as Wexford council confirms priority given to those with ‘medical need’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Elderly people hoping to have new windows and doors installed by Wexford County Council (WCC) may face a lengthy wait after a senior official admitted priority is given to applicants with a “medical need”. Under the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, homeowners can apply to their local council for repairs and installations to be carried out in their residence.

However, due to the nature of the works, some applicants are given priority over others.

At the January meeting of WCC, Councillor Pat Barden asked for some clarity on how these jobs were assigned.

“People have been in touch with me about getting back doors or front doors done, I was told they’re not getting priority and that bathrooms are installed first,” he said. “How long are these people going to have to wait? Will these works ever be done?”

Director of housing Carolyne Godkin explained that while repairs were part of the scheme, other works were invariably given higher consideration.

“I will take a look at the backlog, but yes, we do give priority to people who require bathrooms after coming home from hospital,” she said. “When we don’t have works like those on our list we move to the smaller jobs and install doors and windows, but it is hard to get those installed unless they are substantially in array.

“All applicants stay on the list and our budget for these works increases with each year.”

Pressed for a timeframe, Ms Godkin said the very nature of the scheme made it difficult to predict when works would be carried out.

“It’s difficult to give a timeline, you could be tenth on the list today but if an urgent case arises – such as a medical need – we have to prioritise that. The list is fluid unfortunately. I should say that WCC is one of the top local authorities in the country for carrying out works under this programme.”