50% of Mayo vacant homes to remain boarded up for now - TD

A Mayo TD has expressed serious concern regarding the government’s continued underfunding of Mayo County Council in its efforts to return vacant social housing units to active use.

Figures have shown that only 30 of over 60 vacant social homes in Mayo are expected to be brought back into use in 2025.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh stated: “The ongoing housing crisis continues to place enormous pressure on families across Mayo, particularly those who are currently in emergency or insecure accommodation.

“In this context, it is deeply disappointing that so many publicly owned homes remain unoccupied due to inadequate resources at the local authority level.

“While the government currently allocates €11,000 per unit for refurbishment under the Voids Return scheme, this amount is mostly insufficient to meet the full costs of returning homes to a habitable standard, especially those that have been vacant for extended periods or require significant repair.

“The continued effect of underinvestment in planned maintenance over many years has left many of these properties in disrepair, further delaying their return to use.

“Vacant homes can become sites for anti-social behaviour or illegal dumping, undermining the quality of life for neighbouring residents.

“In many communities across Mayo, young families are living in overcrowded conditions, sometimes in temporary accommodation or with extended family, while suitable homes lie empty nearby.

“This situation is both avoidable and unacceptable.

“We do not need a Housing Czar – we need a Minister who funds local authorities, who listens to local authorities and who supports them to do their job.

“I believe local authorities such as Mayo County Council must be empowered—through adequate funding and policy support—to address housing needs proactively and ambitiously.

“The current Voids Return scheme does not meet the scale or urgency of the crisis.

“Rather than relying on centralized or symbolic measures, what is needed is a sustained commitment to properly fund local authorities, listen to their needs, and support them in delivering secure housing for all.”

Deputy Conway-Walsh reiterated Sinn Féin’s call for a revised funding model that ensures all vacant local authority housing can be brought back into use without delay, as part of a broader strategy to tackle the housing emergency.

This combined with sufficient funding for ongoing repairs of council houses and a pyrite remediation scheme for local authority houses would be a start in fixing the housing crisis. People also need to be able to build on their own land.