New committee to oversee roll-out of pyrite scheme in Mayo

A COMMITTEE is to be established to oversee the roll-out of the pyrite redress scheme in Mayo.

Three councillors - Neil Cruise, Jarlath Munnelly and John O'Hara - asked that the committee be established by way of notice of motion at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council. This is to ensure good communication between the council and home owners.

Councillor Cruise, at a housing meeting, warned that pyrite is coming to every corner of the county and they needed to be proactive so as not to fall behind the curve.

An initial meeting to look at terms of reference and the make-up of the committee will take place in the next week or so.

With the announcement of the Defective Concrete Block Scheme 2021, the relevance of the scheme within the county and the suffering a large group are enduring due to pyrite in their homes, the councillors asked that a committee be established to monitor progress of the roll-out of the scheme.

They suggested it should be a sub-committee of the housing SPC, meeting once a month, virtually, with provision made for public attendance.

It should include the cathaoirleach of the SPC as chairperson, three to four councillors and other relevant stakeholders, as well as the CEO of Mayo County Council and director of services for housing.

Each meeting will have detailed updates, including the number of applications and approvals.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said there was no objection in principle to setting up the sub-committee, and he asked for an initial meeting.

The issue has devastated people's lives and the council wanted to facilitate in any way it can helping people through the ordeal, he said.

Councillor Munnelly said it was all about communication between the council and home owners.