Mayo social housing list ‘dominated by single individuals who are unemployed’

The welfare trap and the plight of those just above the income thresholds for social housing were to the forefront of Mayo councillors’ minds as the Housing SPC delved into the social housing list.

Describing the housing system as ‘broken’, Cllr Flynn questioned the focus of housing policy at a time of full employment, saying lists were “dominated by single individuals who are unemployed or in part-time employment.”

He said many people in full-time work could not afford to rent or buy and remarked that anyone working fulltime on the minimum wage would be “gone” from the housing list as they would be above the income threshold.

He also asked whether the council should build more apartments rather than three-bedroom homes, given the demand for one- and two-bed units, and suggested new estate homes could cost around €350,000 each.

“The fact that we still have zero target for affordable homes in this county is just incomprehensible,” he said.

Fall in qualified households on Mayo’s social housing list

The number of qualified households on Mayo’s social housing list has fallen by 52 since 2024, to 1,046, councillors were told, even as the national figure rose by about 3%.

Catherine McConnell, Director of Services at Mayo County Council, said the figures were a snapshot in time and that the council had no detail on what lay behind the fall. She said it pointed to “action in terms of bringing on properties and units where people are being accommodated.”

According to the council’s breakdown, the largest group of households is aged 30 to 39. Some 61% are single-adult households, and 51% are unemployed and in receipt of social or community benefits, while 26% are in employment. The rest are pensioners, retired people or people on other supports or training.

On time spent waiting, 315 households have been on the list for under a year and 269 for between one and three years. The balance is mostly between three and five years, with very small numbers waiting longer than five.

The council expects to deliver 169 units this year through construction, direct purchase, turnkeys, Part V and approved housing bodies. By municipal district, that is 88 in Castlebar, 23 in Ballina, 45 in Claremorris-Swinford and 13 in West Mayo-Belmullet.

“I don’t think we’ll exceed it this year, but we will meet our targets,” Ms McConnell said. The 2027 target rises to around 189, with delivery expected at about 190. For 2028 the target is around 187, but the council expects to be “north of 200” as the pipeline builds.

Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said part of the fall was down to applicants’ earnings rising above the €30,000 income limit. He said people were also removed from the list when they moved to HAP, and that this was now being reversed without those people being restored to the list.

Cllr Harry Barrett described the system as “dysfunctional,” but said this was no fault of council staff.

Cllr Flynn agreed, claiming that people were being advised to reduce their working hours to qualify for housing, which he said showed “how broken the system is.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme