Kerry County Council has launched the Estate Enhancement Fund, financed through additional income from removing the maximum rent cap for council homes from February (2026).
The €120,000 fund is designed to help council estate residents maintain communal areas and have well-kept neighbourhoods.
The application process will be open to residents’ associations throughout this year, with tenancy management officers acting as the first point of contact.
The funding can be used for enhancement works, including planting shrubs and trees, and purchasing lawnmowers.
The fund was broadly welcomed by councillors, though concerns were raised about access and bureaucracy.
Councillor Tommy Griffin urged that the process not be as onerous as the Community Support Fund, where he said some funding went undrawn due to bureaucracy.
Councillor Charlie Farrelly asked that power washing, and the cleaning and painting of boundary walls, be made eligible under the scheme.
Director of Housing at Kerry County Council, Niamh O’Sullivan, told councillors at the recent full council meeting that estates without an active residents’ association will also be able to apply for funding for projects.
She said the executive would keep the application process as simple as possible, and that as this is the first year of the fund, there would be learnings.
When asked by Councillor Maura Healy Rae about insurance or public indemnity requirements, Ms O’Sullivan said that the council wanted to ensure good practice but would work with the groups to make it as easy as possible.
