Taskforce urged to deal with high number of HMOs and anti-social behaviour

A proposal was put forward by The Moor Sinn Féin Councillor Aisling Hutton at a Health and Community Committee meeting on September 14.

Colr. Hutton proposed the scheduling of a special meeting of council to form the task force, which would include political representatives and statutory agencies, to ‘deal with the issues that our residents and neighbourhoods are facing’.

She told the committee that residents of Abercorn Road and its surrounding areas have endured ‘large volumes of antisocial behaviour’ including bike theft, burglary, criminal damage and arson.

She added that residents have witnessed ‘drug dealing on their streets, shoplifting and possession of knives’.

Abercorn Road and the Bishop Street area have endured nightly disruption, she said, which called for blue lights services and police patrols to be deployed on a number of occasions.

Colr. Hutton said that the issue was not isolated to Abercorn Road, but was a ‘crisis throughout’.

Many of the HMOs are operated by agencies in Belfast without consultation with the local Housing Executive, who are under ‘serious pressure’ dealing with homelessness and temporary accommodation, she said.

“I know other Council members are dealing with issues similar to this in Carlisle Road, Spencer Road, Duncreggan Road and Limavady Road,’ Colr. Hutton said.

“Neighbourhoods are under stress and anxiety in relation to antisocial behaviour and criminality.

“Their homes are supposed to be safe spaces, where they have gardens, where their children play, and where they park their vehicles.”

Colr. Hutton has also contacted principals of schools in the vicinity of Abercorn Road, about needles found in local park nearby, and asked them to carry out checks before taking pupils there.

“That’s not how things should be working in our thriving, peaceful communities,” Colr. Hutton said. “Nor should vulnerable people be misplaced in areas where they are not only a risk to others but a risk to themselves.”

Colr. Hutton proposed an initial Special Meeting of Council to form the taskforce, which will be made up of representatives from each political party, ‘as a matter of urgency’ to ‘ collectively come together to try and find a long term solution to this problem’.

The Committee voted in favour of the proposal with the exception of The Moor Independent Councillor Gary Donnelly, who abstained.

Colr. Donnelly said Derry, which has 269 HMOs throughout, was home to a disproportionate number of vulnerable people compared to Belfast, which has 3,100 HMOs.

“There’s something wrong when we’re taking this large influx of people from an area with over ten times as many HMOs,” Colr. Donnelly said.

"There’s a perception we are being used for a dumping ground.”

The proposal came as new figures showed there was a 525 per cent hike in expenditure on emergency housing over the past five years in the Derry and Strabane area.

Housing Executive data showed the amount of money spent on single lets, hotels, B&Bs and specialised accommodation in Derry/Strabane rose from £929,965 in 2018/19 to £5,815,335 in 2022/23.