High demand for Citizens' Information Service in Mayo
SOUTH Connacht Citizens Information Service (SCCIS), which recently published its annual report for 2025, has reported continued high levels of demand for its services.
The rising cost of living and the increased move of public services online were two of the main reasons people contacted the service.
During 2025, SCCIS provided a service to 29,648 clients and answered a total of 56,756 queries. Social welfare queries accounted for 48% of all queries in 2025. The other largest query types were housing (12%), employment (7%), health (7%) and money and tax (7%).
As well as providing information and advice to people on their rights and entitlements, SCCIS also provides an advocacy service which empowers people to assert their rights and claim their entitlements. Where necessary, the service represents clients and negotiates on their behalf.
The advocacy work undertaken by SCCIS makes a real impact on the lives of clients it works with, whether it is helping them get a social welfare payment, get on the housing waiting list or get a redundancy payment when they lose their job.
Commenting on the publication of the report, Tomás Lally, development manager, Mayo, said: “In 2025, we continued to see strong demand for our services. People really value the independent and confidential support they receive from our staff. It can and does make a big difference to their lives.
“Clients reported high levels of satisfaction with our service in 2025, and we are continuing to develop our service offer in 2026 with the addition of a digital help service.”
Client surveys undertaken in 2025 revealed that:
* 99% of clients surveyed were either very satisfied or satisfied with the service they received.
* 96.5% of clients surveyed found staff friendly and welcoming
* 98.5% of clients surveyed said they would recommend the service to others.
Citizens Information is a trusted provider of free, impartial, confidential information, advice and advocacy on a wide range of public services in Ireland. It helps individuals understand and access their rights and entitlements in areas such as Social Welfare, Employment Rights, Housing, Health, Immigration, Money and Tax across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
There are five centres in Mayo, located in Ballina, Belmullet, Castlebar, Claremorris, and Westport. Members of the public can find information on their rights and entitlement, as well as centre opening hours, at citizensinformation.ie or by phoning Castlebar on 0818 07 6040 or Ballina on 0818 07 5990.