'Inhumane' conditions for Ballymun Travellers with no electricity or hot water
Families at a Ballymun Traveller site have faced “inhumane” conditions for the past two weeks, as they have been left without electricity, hot water, or the ability to heat baby bottles.With a child unable to charge their mobility aid and residents being denied a hot shower, Saint Margaret's Park in Ballymun has found itself in dire straits since ESB cut their electricity in March. A generator provided by Dublin City Council had kept things running, but this was removed two weeks ago and now they have been left to fend for themselves.One resident on-site, who wished to remain anonymous, outlined the situation for Dublin Live, and explained that families who just want to pay their electricity bill aren’t able to do so and must face total darkness. A spokesperson for the council previously said ESB had disconnected electricity to the site “due to a significant health and safety risk”.The resident explained that some people have their own generators, but there are other families without any source of power whatsoever. “There’s a lot of sick people who rely on electricity,” they said, highlighting a particular case of a young child who relies on a mobility aid who now must be carried everywhere to get around.This is a “human rights” violation according to the resident who believes if this was a problem faced by the settled community “it would be fixed in a day or two” by the council. While feuds and controversies have been associated with Saint Margaret's Park, they said that’s no reason to allow the collective punishment of vulnerable families and marginalised children.They said the fact that the street lights still come on at night shows it is possible to have electricity at Saint Margaret's Park and they pleaded for this to extend to the whole site. Installing individual metres for households is one way to counter the safety concerns, but they say they’ve been told this could take up to 12 weeks, and that people will struggle without electricity for months on end.This resident said ESB has continually requested more documentation from households and that council hasn’t offered any assistance to help them resolve the issue. The council refutes this, stating they have taken phone calls from all concerned community members and offered advice. The resident said that Saint Margaret's Park has been neglected by DCC and that empty bays have “basically been turned into landfills” as illegal dumping has persisted at the site.People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy said the absence of a dedicated Executive Manager for Traveller accommodation within the council means many vulnerable people “fall through the cracks” and fail to have their concerns prioritised appropriately. He said the history of Saint Margaret's Park may be complex, but that doesn’t mean they should be left to fester into substandard living conditions.While Executive Manager Frank d'Arcy previously headed Housing Operations and Traveller accommodation was included among his remit, following his move to the Chief Executive's office, Cllr Reddy said there’s a lack of senior leadership to drive essential projects. Although there is a specific Traveller Accommodation Unit within the council, he said they lack the executive powers needed to approve high-level decisions.One powerful example that symbolises how consistently Travellers are let down by the council according to Cllr Reddy occurred during Traveller Pride in May. He spoke of attending a planned event featuring wagons, a tinsmithing demonstration and food, only to arrive on the day and learn funding hadn’t been released.Cllr Reddy said the organisers were only informed of this the morning of, and with no funds to pay the tinsmith, the event was cancelled with almost no prior warning. “It’s this general neglect of Travellers and behaviour that wouldn’t be accepted in response to any other community,” he said.In regards to Saint Margaret's Park, Cllr Reddy said longstanding issues have been allowed to fester and when the result is anti-social behaviour or crime, he feels the council use this as a justification not to act. But he stressed the need for the council to take a more active role in estate management and ensure proper supports are in place for those who need them.“I’d argue the council has a higher level of responsibility and they should be in there dealing with the social problems as they arise. But they’ve let them fester to a level where it does mean violence and crime. I’m hearing this from Travellers at Saint Margaret's, they feel they’ve been left abandoned,” he said.In response to queries, Dublin City Council stated that the power cut was initiated by ESB Networks on March 18 due to a "significant health and safety risk". The council’s Traveller Accommodation Unit (TAU) said it immediately hired contractors to fix the underlying issues, submitting the necessary safety certifications within a week to allow the site to be legally reconnected.To keep power running during this time, the council provided a temporary diesel generator for residents from March 20. However, DCC maintains that under the official Tenants Handbook, utility bills are strictly the responsibility of residents. The council stated it issued multiple letters to tenants, both by post and hand-delivered, advising them that the temporary generator would be removed and that they needed to set up their own accounts with an electricity supplier.While residents argue they have been left stranded, the council emphasised that it extended the generator's use until May 25 to give families further time to contact suppliers. DCC confirmed the generator was removed on that date and stated that the TAU is continuing to take phone calls from residents to advise them on the process of activating their individual electricity accounts.When contacted for additional comment by Dublin Live, ESB confirmed the electricity supply at Saint Margaret's Park was disconnected "following engagement with Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána, with public safety a primary consideration". "This precautionary measure was taken to help protect residents, workers, and the wider community. ESB Networks is committed to ensuring that all reconnections are carried out in line with national electrical standards," a spokesperson said."To support the safe restoration of supply, individual customers must first engage with their electricity supplier. Once the required electrical certification and customer registration are complete, the supplier will submit a reconnection request to ESB Networks, after which supply can be safely restored."Both Dublin City Council and the affected customers have been informed of this process."ESB Networks will continue to work closely with local authorities and the community to support a safe and reliable service."This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting SchemeWant to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? 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