Mayo housing SPC demands answers over social housing income threshold inequality

The chairman of Mayo County Council's Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for housing has called for a formal Government explanation over what he describes as a discriminatory disparity in social housing eligibility thresholds between Mayo and neighbouring Galway.

Councillor Peter Flynn raised the issue at today's SPC meeting, pointing to the significant gap in the maximum net income limits that determine whether a household qualifies for social housing support, limits that vary considerably depending on which side of the county boundary a person lives on.

Under current Government regulations, residents of Mayo fall into the lowest income band, with a maximum net income threshold of €30,000 for a single person to qualify for social housing.

However, residents of Co. Galway, including those in rural areas directly bordering Mayo, fall into the middle band, with a threshold of €35,000.

For a family with three children, the additional percentage allowances applied to that base figure result in a considerably higher qualifying limit on the Galway side.

"There is a disparity between County Galway and Mayo," Councillor Flynn told the committee. "Living in Shrule, a family may be excluded from social housing support that the same family, living just across the border in Galway, would qualify for. Why are we being discriminated against in Mayo? Why aren't we being treated the same?"

Flynn acknowledged that a higher threshold for Galway City, which falls into the top band at €40,000 for an individual, is understandable, but argued there was no justification for rural Co. Galway to be treated more favourably than rural Co. Mayo.

With the committee's support, he is seeking permission to write formally to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne and Minister of State John Cummins requesting an explanation for the disparity.