Pet badger kept in council house

The Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District, Hughie McGrath, told the November meeting of local councillors that he once knew a man who kept a pet badger in his council house.

Pet badgers, it seems, are no longer allowed in local authority owned dwellings, and indeed tenants about to be housed by Tipperary County Council now must ask for permission to have a dog in their house.

Helen Butler, a Community Liaison Officer with the council, told the meeting that restrictions do exist on keeping animals such as dogs and horses in council-owned properties. She confirmed that tenants needed permission to have a dog in a house.

Cllr McGrath said he was aware of restrictions on certain breeds of dog, but he would not like to see a policy introduced where the council would stop tenants from having a dog as such pets tended to improve the wellbeing of their owners.

Councillors were told that the council did not operate a “zero policy” on tenants having a dog. There was no prescribed number of dogs that a tenant could own; it depended on issues such as the size of the outdoor area available to accommodate them.

Cllr McGrath’s story about the man who used to have a badger in his house sparked amusement in the chamber. He was told there was now a no-badger policy when it came to animals that the council would or would not allow in its houses.

Both Ms Butler and another Community Liaison Officer, Lindsey Cleary, outlined how they worked with tenants to try to resolve issues such as barking dogs which caused annoyance to neighbours.

They also outlined their roles in resolve other problems, such as anti-social behaviour and the steps that are taken to evict troublesome tenants.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Ms Cleary said tenants who have problems with neighbours could make a complaint by phoning the council’s customer service desk. Generally the council did not act on anonymous complaints but those people who gave their names were dealt with in the strictest confidence.

She said her work and that of Ms Butler generally involved approaching the tenant or tenants at the source of complaint to first try resolve the problem. If a resolution could not be found the next stage was to issue a written warning and the council could ultimately having to initiate court proceedings.

“That has happened, and it is happening, but it is a last resort,” said Ms Cleary. “The last thing we want to do is repossess a house from a tenant because that causes other issues.”

She said five court cases had been initiated by the council against troublesome tenants so far this year, three of which related to problems around antisocial behaviour. Cases were only taken after a protracted time spent trying to resolve whatever was the source of the problem.

Ms Butler said every person allocated a house was first issued with a handbook outlining how they adhere to the tenancy agreement.

Ms Cleary said the council was working with resident associations to improve council estates. Members of such associations tended to be the eyes and ears of the council and it was a top priority of the council to get as many of these groupings up and running again after the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Cllr John Carroll said antisocial behaviour by a small minority of tenants was something he came across regularly in council estates. He felt there should be “zero tolerance” for tenants who damage houses given that the county had a housing crisis and there were many responsible people waiting in line to be housed by the local authority.

Dogs barking late at night and people parking caravans in the driveways or outside their homes impacted on neighbours and these were issued that needed to be addressed.

Cllr Rocky McGrath said dumping and storing of rubbish by tenants should not be tolerated.

Cllr Michael O’ Meara said people working in the council’s housing department were in an extremely difficult and stressful job.