DUP representatives Roger Hutchinson MLA and alderman Jack McKee have both called for action to be taken before someone is killed. An unoccupied flat on the eighth floor was set on fire in the early hours of Thursday morning, while a hallway on the seventh floor was damaged by fire at around 1am on Friday. Police are treating both incidents as arson. I would call for a new security system to be set up in the area to address the problems. There is an onus on the Housing Executive to provide a security system which is workable for the flats.
People living in the area deserve better.
Alderman McKee said that the situation needed to be dealt with now before someone is badly injured or killed. Mrs Mima Montgomery, Chairperson of the Riverdale Residents Association, said that there had been a spate of fires in recent weeks. Mr Hutchinson praised the work of the residents association but said that their task was being made more difficult as they didn t have the support of all residents. I am calling for the immediate recruitment of a concierge to patrol the flats on a 24 hour basis. Too much is happening too frequently to let it continue.