Offaly Bord na Mona staff might miss out on retrofitting work

THE work on an energy efficiency conversion scheme for council houses might not be carried out by Bord na Mona employees, a meeting of Offaly County Council heard on Monday.

The Government has put a €20m budget in place for the retrofitting of social housing and with decarbonisation set to result in hundreds of Bord na Mona staff losing their jobs, it had been hoped that many would gain alternative employment on the energy efficiency project.

Some workers have already undertaken training in home insulation at the national construction training facility in Mountlucas to prepare them for the new roles.

However, it was confirmed on Monday that the deep retrofitting contract will have to be tendered in the normal manner, a move which could confine the work to specialist companies.

Also, just €3.3m of the €20m budget has been allocated for Offaly, prompting more claims from councillors that the so-called 'just transition' is instead 'unjust'.

Several councillors raised concerns about the retrofitting programme and Cllr John Leahy said it will not be possible for the Bord na Mona staff to get the work if it is an e-tender.

Sharon Kennedy, director of service, said the council had begun its preparations for the scheme by deciding which houses would be worked on first.

The council had bundled the houses into groups of 40.

“We're currently surveying the first 40 to see the nature of works and to get some level of understanding of the cost and then we'll be going to tender,” said Ms Kennedy.

She hoped to follow on with other bundles “very quickly” and she estimated the cost at €25,000 per house on average.

John Cunningham, housing officer, said the houses would be identified by need and in the first instance he considered Offaly's old persons' dwellings to be “of great need”, especially those of poor construction quality and 150 houses in those categories had been identified.

He stressed the programme will have a “countywide remit” after councillors asked if social houses in areas where there were large concentrations of Bord na Mona employees woud be prioritised.

The €25,000 figure per house was indicative. “We really don't know what the cost will be because each house will be different,” said Mr Cunningham, explaining that an old house may need “all the measures and could cost more than €40,000” while one built in the early '90s “might just need a heating system, up to €20,000”.

The first lot of houses to be surveyed are in west Offaly. “The tenants have received communication and will get a visit over the next couple of weeks from surveyors,” he said.

“That then will go to tender with probably e-tenders to get the works done.”

Ms Kennedy said the council was “obliged” to go through the e-tender process and some of the firms tendering may employ the trained Bord na Mona workers, especially if they needed the additional capacity.

Anna Marie Delaney, council chief executive, agreed with councillors that it had been thought the scheme would target Bord na Mona employees but it had become apparent “early on” in discussions with the Department of Housing the work would have to be tendered.