Councillor claims housing report is ‘the definition of spin’

A WESTPORT councillor has accused the Director of Services with responsibility for housing of engaging in spin when addressing the current housing situation in the county.

Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn claimed a presentation given on the update of the housing programme made by Director of Services Tom Gilligan did not address the housing crisis faced by young people in the county.

In a comprehensive report to the councillors at yesterday’s (Monday) monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, Mr Gilligan said the county council had reached its new build targets for 2022 set by the Department of Housing. He also said the housing issue is a priority for the local authority.

‘On the radar’

Mr Gilligan went through all the social housing projects currently underway or planned throughout Mayo, and gave updates on affordable housing schemes and vacant and derelict housing schemes.

“There are nearly 800 [social housing] units there and is a very active pipeline. Members can see for themselves what is happening on the ground and the benefit it will bring the people moving forward,” Mr Gilligan told the meeting.

In relation to affordable housing, Mr Gilligan said that Mayo County Council had been given approval in principle for 13 affordable housing units in Westport and is also looking to make an application for similar units in Castlebar.

“We appreciate it is not enough and we have to deliver more,” he said in relation to affordable housing. “There is no doubt about it that affordable housing is very much on the radar to ensure people get a home at an affordable price.”

‘Laughable’

However, Cllr Flynn accused Mr Gilligan of engaging in spin, claiming that the housing programme was focused on social housing when there is a greater need for more affordable housing.

“If you ever want to know the definition of spin this is certainly it. It is encapsulated perfectly in what is presented to us today,” said Cllr Flynn.

Cllr Peter Flynn is critical of the delivery of housing for young people in Mayo 

“It is more of the same with all of the focus on social housing. Look at where we are as a county with virtually zero unemployment and where you have to be unemployed to qualify for social housing, and yet we are looking to build a thousand plus social homes in this county. It is impossible to fathom.

“We have a huge cohort of young working people out there who we are doing absolutely nothing for. To be talking about affordable housing that we are making progress with is laughable to be frank,” he said.

Pig in a poke

Cllr Flynn described the application for affordable housing in a field in The Quay in Westport as a ‘pig in a poke’, saying he felt it would never be granted planning permission due to zoning and other issues. He also claimed that any recommendations by local councillors regarding another site in Westport earmarked for social and affordable housing and other housing issues have been ignored by Mr Gilligan’s department.

“All the soundbites are fine but the actual practice of supporting these people is non-existent, and Mayo County Council as a whole has been wholeheartedly irresponsible in relation to this and have washed their hands [of it]. This will come back to bite, make no mistake about it,” he claimed.

Fianna Fáil councillor Damien Ryan told the meeting that there was a real need for affordable housing in Mayo, and agreed that the delivery of social housing should not be the absolute priority given the constraints in qualifying for social housing.

“There needs to be a balance between social and affordable. In the past, the mix worked well. It needs to be rethought because there are people who have fallen through the net in relation to both,” he said.

Stifled by planners

While Independent Richard Finn commented that it is evident that Mr Gilligan is passionate about his role and deserves credit for the work he has done, fellow Independent Michael Kilcoyne criticised the timescale for delivery of some of the projects.

Cllr Finn said that developers are being stifled by planners in Mayo County Council who he accused of stopping progress because of technicalities. He said there needs to be a happy medium to ensure the development can take place in towns and buildings are not left vacant and derelict.

The meeting heard that 60 percent of housing in the county will be delivered by the local authority with the remaining 40 percent to be delivered by approved housing bodies. While Mr Gilligan said there was good cooperation between the two sectors, Castlebar-based councillor Ger Deere claimed that some housing bodies are not reliable.

“We have to be very careful when dealing with some of these bodies who are not reliable and in turmoil,” he claimed.

A number of councillors questioned the council executive on when the position of Head of Housing will be filled as it has been vacant for a number of months.

In response Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, said that the council has asked for the position to be filled through the Public Appointment Service along with another position in the authority. He explained that the matter was outside the control of the council but expected the position to be filled in the coming weeks.