A Lisburn councillor’s confidence in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) has hit an “all time low”.
DUP representative Jonathan Craig was speaking after the housing agency’s CEO admitted they are facing difficulties due to the contractors used for various maintenance jobs facing “significant increases in the cost of materials and labour” which have “impacted timeframes and the capacity to deliver”.
NIHE Chief Executive Grainia Long, in a letter to Lisburn City and Castlereagh District Council this week, outlined how their ‘response maintenance and planned scheme’ contractor had gone into administration while they have been without a ‘planned maintenance’ contractor “for many months”.
Read more: Housing Executive workers say thousands of jobs left undone as strike enters ninth week.
Ms Long, in her letter to council Chief Executive David Burns, accepted that residents have faced “serious service delivery problems” in Lisburn and Castlereagh after their ‘response maintenance and planned scheme’ contractor JMC Mechanical Services sent into administration in 2021 with the loss of 140 jobs causing.
She said that a new contractor has been appointed and that they are “working to address the backlogs”. Ms Long admitted, however, that while “significant progress has been made” the new contractor has been “impacted by the current economic climate”.
The letter adds: “I fully understand the concerns around the delays some of out tenants are facing, and do appreciate the frustration of those tenants who are unable to move into their new homes because of outstanding change of tenancy repairs.”
Regarding ‘planned maintenance’, Ms Long’s letter added that the Executive has appointed two new contractors. But she said that it is “our intention to recommence our planned scheme work in the area within three months”.
However, Lisburn North councillor, Jonathan Craig (DUP) expressed his concern stating that “confidence in the NIHE is at an all time low going forward”.
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