Taxi fares cost NIHE 'shocking' half a million pounds - Aontú

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) has spent in excess of half a million pounds taxiing clients to and from temporary or emergency accommodation across the North, in the last three years.

The exact figure of £522,279 was revealed in a Freedom of Information response from NIHE to Aontú Derry representative, Darryl Christy.

Speaking to Derry Now, Mr Christy said he was “absolutely shocked” at the figure.

He added: “For some time now, it has been clear there has been an influx of individuals from outside the North West being placed here in emergency or temporary accommodation such as hostels. This practice has been replicated across the North.

“In many cases, these placements are normal. However, it is well documented that many individuals are being placed outside of their own locality because of problems with their behaviour or complex needs.

“Indeed, there are growing concerns, people being moved to Derry and elsewhere have been removed from other accommodation and are no longer welcome.

“In moving these individuals, taxpayers might expect that a new address is given and people would make their own way to their new accommodation. However, we now understand taxis were being used to ferry those being moved,” said Mr Christy.

Darryl Christy said he had contacted NIHE to ascertain if it was paying for these trips when it came to light recently one person was taken in a taxi from East Belfast to Derry and then to Newry in a short time-frame, having been asked to move out of temporary accommodation.

“The Housing Executive confirmed to me it had paid for the taxis transporting people to temporary / emergency accommodation - an astonishing £522,279 since 2020,” said Mr Christy.

He added: “There are of course legitimate reasons why someone might need taxis to transport them between accommodation - for example their current home becomes damaged or they may be a victim of a crime. However this should be the rule and not the exception.

“Taxpayers and those living in Housing Executive accommodation, especially those who cannot get repairs carried out due to budgetary constraints, will be horrified by these figures.

“Aontú has been contacted by taxi drivers, not just locally but across the region, who have confirmed they have driven people from East to West and vice versa multiple times because they were asked to leave their accommodation due to their behaviour.

“Now, not only are taxpayers paying for new accommodation for those breaking the terms of their short term lease, but for their transport afterwards.
“It is outrageous,” said Mr Christy, who added that the Housing Executive had serious questions to answer in relation to these journeys.

Darryl Christy said: “A local taxi firm in Derry will charge approximately £90 for a trip from Derry city centre to Belfast city centre.

“The total cost of 522,279 amounts to nearly 6,000 of those journeys.

“Aontú will continue to highlight policies such as this that are having an impact on communities and the huge cost to citizens”.
In a statement to Derry News, a Housing Executive spokesperson said: “We provide assistance via taxi provision to facilitate our statutory duties under the Housing (NI) Order 1988.

“The use of taxis assists the most vulnerable households to access temporary accommodation, which may not be in their immediate locality and where the household would not otherwise have the means (eg. access to their own transport, or the ability to pay for transport) to allow them to access such accommodation.”