Covid-19 restrictions delayed social housing turnaround in Leitrim
The Covid-19 restrictions imposed earlier this year have had the most significant impact on turnaround times for Leitrim County Council's social housing stock.
The comments came following a query by Cllr Padraig Fallon on the length of time it takes to put a vacant house back into use.
He asked if the current shortage in skilled construction workers is having an impact on the turnaround process.
Director of Services, Mary Quinn said that currently Leitrim County Council’s vacant housing turnaround time is approximately 30 weeks with this timeframe expected to reduced by the end of 2021.
“The most significant impact on the 2021 turnaround time was COVID-19 restrictions which applied earlier in the year and prevented outdoor staff and contractors from working,” noted Ms Quinn.
“A further difficulty experienced this year relates to the supply of goods and materials with some materials becoming more difficult to source.
“Despite these challenges in 2021, it is anticipated that Leitrim County Council’s vacant turnaround will be in line with the turnaround time achieved in 2019 and 2020,” she stressed.