'I can't afford it': Residents holds protest outside of Leitrim County Council office
Residents have said that Leitrim County Council is not engaging with them
A protest took place at Leitrim County Council’s offices on Monday morning, with around a dozen residents turning up to protest increases in their rents.
The price hike is part of a new rent scheme, introduced in September, that affects around 1000 residents in the county living in social housing.
Locals had their rent increased based on the income of those living in the home, with rents rising to 18% of the main earner's income, and 10% of the income of other earners living in the property.
Public meetings have been held in recent months about the rental increases, with locals voicing anger over the move.
“We went into panic mode,” said local resident Carmal Garvey, who was at the protest.
She says her rent increased from €55 per week to €166 with ten days' notice.
“Where are we going to get this sort of money in such a short space of time?” she says.
She says it was unfair that the increase was levied now at this time of year in the midst of a cost of living crisis, and that it did not take into account dependent children living in households.
“They're hitting the small person here, they're coming after the working class, it feels like we're constantly being bitten at the ankles,” she said.
Leitrim County Council have said that those suffering financial hardship as a result of the increases can contact the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).
Some residents, however, are still paying their old rent, saying they simply are not able to pay the new price of rent.
“I can't afford it,” said Seamus Reidy, a local resident who is disabled.
“I think it's kind of an injustice, too, that they didn't do any kind of engagement or anything like that before. “
Despite working, Reidy says that he is reliant on the disability to meet his additional needs, and the rental increase is too much for him to pay.
“I have to have more heating than normal because I don't have the mobility. I have to have a car because local transport is not meeting my requirements.“
In a statement, the Council said it understands that every household has unique circumstances and is committed to working constructively with tenants who may be facing financial difficulties.
However, protesters told the Observer that they do not feel that they are being engaged with by the county council.
“We're simply just asking for engagement. We are looking for some fairer rents. We just feel the rents have jumped quite high, with very little notice, all in one go, during the cost of living crisis, and coming up to Christmas, it's just a very unfair time,” said Paula Snedy, a spokesperson for the local residents.
“Nobody's denying that rents aren't going to go up, but they need to go up, we know that but the amount that's going to have gone up is quite high,” she added.