Future Strategies

In 2001, Cork County Council, in conjunction with Cork City Council and the nine Town Councils situated in County Cork, developed the first Housing Strategy for Cork. The stated aim of the strategy is 'to enable the people of Cork, now and in the future, to have a place to live, suited to their needs, at a price they can afford.' This is in keeping with National Policy on Housing, which seeks to ensure that those who can house themselves should do so with the aid of financial incentives where appropriate, and those unable to access housing from their own resources should have access to social housing or income support to rent in the private sector.

In accordance with these principles, Cork County Council's Housing Section provides and promotes the full range of housing options, developed with emphasis on the provision of a client-focused response. The aim is to meet individual housing need with the response most appropriate to the need expressed, and to do so in consultation with the client.

The responsibilities of housing authorities are set to expand even further in the coming years, in a variety of ways:

• The scale of private development in County Cork continues to expand which, in turn, will lead to large numbers of both affordable and social housing units being made available to the Council. This gives us a new level of responsibility to allocate these units in a timely fashion.
• Recent changes in the Regulations on Supplementary Welfare Allowance (Rent Allowance) has and will continue to have an impact on Housing Authorities.
• The continued development of our Estate Management Units mean that they will work closely with the local communities and residents' associations in achieving and promoting social inclusion.