Addressing the Assembly during a Stormont debate on housing, Timothy Gaston, the TUV MLA for North Antrim, drew attention to the dire state of housing in his constituency and beyond.
Gaston's speech, delivered on Tuesday, October 15th, underscored the chronic shortage of housing options available to residents, highlighting it as the predominant issue he has faced in over a decade of political service.
Gaston painted a grim picture of the housing situation in North Antrim, where demand has significantly outstripped supply. "Housing availability in North Antrim has been at a critical level for a number of years," Gaston remarked, attributing the crisis to a growing and ageing population, alongside thriving local industries attracting more workers and their families to the area.
The MLA critiqued the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's approach, particularly pointing out the demolition of houses in Ballymena that have not been replaced, turning potential housing sites into mere green spaces.
“Take Ballymena, for example,” Gaston said. “Over the past 20 to 30 years, the Housing Executive has demolished hundreds of houses in Ballykeel, in Ballee and on the Doury Road. Sadly, those houses have not been replaced, and the lands have been turned into grassed areas.”
This situation is compounded by the area's sewerage infrastructure, which lacks the capacity for new builds without substantial upgrades.
Gaston called for an urgent overhaul of the housing allocation system, criticising the current points-based system as outdated and inadequate for addressing the needs of growing families and single adults. He cited an example from Bendooragh, County Antrim, where a family of five is squeezed into a two-bedroom house, illustrating the system's failure to address overcrowding effectively.
"Before leaving the subject of the Housing Executive, I highlight the need for an overhaul of how houses are allocated," Gaston stated, advocating for better management practices that could resolve multiple housing issues with a single move, thereby improving efficiency and fairness in housing allocation.
The speech also touched on the role of housing associations, which, according to Gaston, are making some progress but are still far from meeting the demand. He warned of an impending increase in homelessness if the current trajectory continues without significant policy changes and investments.
Gaston's comments come at a time when rent prices are at an all-time high, and the private rental sector offers little long-term security for tenants. The reliance on co-ownership schemes to facilitate home buying has also added to the pressure on prospective homeowners.
As the debate concluded, Gaston's call for action urged his fellow legislators to prioritise housing not just as a matter of policy, but as a critical issue affecting the wellbeing and future of Northern Ireland's citizens.
With no immediate solutions proposed during the debate, the housing crisis remains a pivotal challenge for the province, demanding innovative and immediate action from policymakers.
MLA Timothy Gaston’s speech in full below:
"During my 11 years of involvement in politics, at local government level and now in central government, housing has been by far the number-one issue that I have encountered. Housing availability in North Antrim has been at a critical level for a number of years, as there are simply not enough houses being built to match the growing demand. As well as having a growing and ageing population, my constituency has a number of thriving industries that attract people to come there to work. The natural progression for those people is for their family to relocate to the area. All those factors have played into the problem in North Antrim. The position has grown to be a Northern Ireland-wide problem that is exacerbated by our sewerage network's limited capacity for new builds.
"I will concentrate my remarks on issues that I have with the Housing Executive. I must say that housing casework is the most frustrating of casework. Finding a solution is largely outside our control, apart from ensuring that a constituent has the maximum number of points. Those employed locally by the Housing Executive are a credit to the organisation, but the fact is that there are simply not enough houses to match the ever-growing demand for social housing. Take Ballymena, for example. Over the past 20 to 30 years, the Housing Executive has demolished hundreds of houses in Ballykeel, in Ballee and on the Doury Road. Sadly, those houses have not been replaced, and the lands have been turned into grassed areas. Given the limitations of the sewerage infrastructure, if there were now a desire to replace the houses, it would simply not be feasible to do so without an on-site solution, first, to separate rainwater from waste water and, secondly, to deal with it.
"Before leaving the subject of the Housing Executive, I highlight the need for an overhaul of how houses are allocated. The points system is out of date and fails growing families and single adults. A greater priority needs to be given to allocations made under good house management practices. Where applicable, that will allow two cases to be resolved under one move. I think of a case that I have in Bendooragh, where a family with three children, all over the age of nine, are crammed into a two-bedroom house, thanks to an award of a mere 14 points.
“The Housing Executive confirms that, although there is overcrowding, it will consider overcrowding for homelessness under "Accommodation not reasonable" only when there is severe overcrowding of properties. In the case that I mentioned, the family are deemed to be one bedroom short and have to make do with 10 points for overcrowding, owing to there being no exceptional circumstances, and four points for having been on the waiting list for four years. The Housing Executive will not extend the house or sell it to the family to allow them to extend it themselves. If the Housing Executive were to attach a greater priority to good house management, that family would have a better chance of being rehoused whilst another case, for someone needing to downsize, would be resolved.
"Housing associations are making some progress locally, but the projected number of builds lags well behind the number of houses required. With rent at an all-time high and no real long-term security for tenants, coupled with a greater reliance on co-ownership for people buying houses, the need has never been greater to see a change in gear in how the Housing Executive provides and allocates houses.
“The need will continue to grow, and, without serious investment, homelessness will continue to be a growing problem in Northern Ireland."
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