Properties to be repaired

Ms Grehan, who is well known for her work on housing in the Lagan Valley Alliance office in Graham Gardens, said: “The announcement of a contractor is long overdue. However, now we have been assured the backlog will be cleared by May.

“As just one example, I have had one constituent waiting since the start of last summer for a window to be replaced. This alone has had a severely detrimental effect on one household’s quality of life,” she continued.

“Since then, I myself have visited countless properties across Lisburn, and come across issues with rising damp, problems with heating and insulation, and in one case one person who has been unable to wash at home for months due to a broken shower. It is bad enough to find people struggling to make ends meet on a disposable income of just £71 per week. When you add that to severe discomfort and a huge hit to their quality of life in their own home, the situation had become beyond unacceptable.”