Mayo families left behind as Castlebar councillors declare housing emergency

Castlebar councillors have unanimously passed a motion declaring a housing emergency in the town, amid warnings of soaring rents, chronic undersupply, and a growing number of working families unable to secure accommodation.

The motion, proposed by Independent councillor Harry Barrett at the May meeting of Castlebar Municipal District, calls on the local authority to write to the Department of Housing, seeking urgent intervention.

“I am frightened by the housing need in this town at the moment,” Councillor Barrett told the meeting.

“Rents are at a level I haven’t seen before, there’s virtually no supply, and there is a growing cohort of people who are working but still cannot afford to rent, and are ineligible for supports due to income thresholds.”

According to Councillor Barrett, Castlebar requires at least 471 social housing units to meet current demand, citing recent data referenced by RTÉ.

However, only 46 units have been built in the town over the past five years.

“There are 49 families from this district in emergency accommodation in this county,” he added.

At the time of the meeting, only six residential properties were listed for rent in Castlebar on Daft.ie, including two-bedroom apartment’s advertised at €1,500 per month.

Councillor Barrett urged the return of direct labour housing construction, proposing the council employ its own teams to address the backlog. He also called for a targeted amnesty on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to encourage the sale of vacant or derelict properties.

“We need to say to delinquent property owners, sell within this short timeframe and you forego CGT, but if you hold on, we CPO it,” he said.

The motion was seconded and supported by fellow Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne, who expressed deep frustration at the lack of action from national government.

“I fully support everything Harry has said,” Councillor Kilcoyne stated.

“Every day I hear stories of families being evicted, parents unable to pay rising rents, children being sent to homeless facilities in Charlestown, where there is no access to a school. We have two ministers in this constituency and still nothing has happened.”

Councillor Kilcoyne added that while he supported the motion, he had little confidence in its effect.

“Harry, you have a lot of faith,” he said.

“But writing to the Department may be as much use as writing a letter to Santa Claus.”