2,700 applicants on Mayo housing list

THERE are 2,700 applicants on the list awaiting social housing in Mayo.

However, many more people don't qualify because of the income threshold, which is a concern among councillors.

A meeting of Mayo County Council's housing committee heard Castlebar has the highest number of people seeking local authority homes, with 783 on the list. In Ballina there are 496 applicants, with 201 in Claremorris and 237 in Westport.

The list of qualified applicants includes people in receipt of RAS and HAP housing payments and those on the transfer list.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne highlighted how the income limit for a couple is €26,000. This meant there was a whole cohort of people who, earning €30,000, would not qualify for social housing and could not get a mortgage.

They are, he noted, too wealthy to avail of housing assistance and too poor to get a mortgage from a bank.

Income limits are set by the department, not the council, and it was a matter that needs to be addressed, agreed Councillor Christy Hyland.

Councillor Kilcoyne said the reality is no one knows how many people really need housing. We know who is on the income limit but no one is taking a list of all the rest, he said.