Vacant homes scheme applicants in Mayo need clarity on timelines

CLARITY on timelines for inspections and payments must be given to applicants under the Vacant Homes Scheme.

Councillor Donna Sheridan has insisted on better PR from the council in Mayo so applicants know what is going on.

There is a wait of 33 weeks minimum between putting in your receipts and getting a payment, she pointed out at a meeting of the local authority.

Extra staff were needed to be assigned to this scheme full-time to help with the backlog.

In the first quarter of this year, 26 payments were issued. That fell to seven in quarter two, she pointed out.

The delay is costing people financially as they pay interest on loans as a tide-over for the grant.

This level of delay isn't happening in other councils, she continued, and in fairness to people, she wanted minimum and maximum timelines to issue so people can arrange matters financially.

Councillor Alma Gallagher also questioned the timeframe for inspections, where all the paperwork is submitted and they are still waiting and are left in limbo as well.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said the council has been a victim of its own success with regards the grants scheme, with the third highest number of applicants in the county and fourth highest approvals, with €6.7 million paid out. There has been in the region of 900 applications at this stage.

The department gave no staff sanction for rolling out the grant and the council has written to the department about this.

When rolled out the scheme was paper based, with 90% of applications incomplete. But they are introducing an online system now, which will be more efficient.

Roll-out in quarter 3 has improved on Q2.

Chief executive Kevin Kelly said an additional staff member has been approved for the inspection side of the scheme and they will be in place in the coming weeks.

Commenting on the 'victim of our own success' remark by the director, Councillor Peter Flynn said they were talking about individual people who are struggling to get work done.

And he went on to ask director Tom Gilligan, 'Have you time to do your job?' noting a two-page spread in a newspaper in relation to his new company, while he also had another one, while also running two of the most signifcant functions in the council (roads and housing).