Truth behind Mayo's housing crisis
TWO-THIRDS of people seeking council homes in Mayo are single adult applicants, and the vast majority of overall applicants - 92 per cent - are Irish or European/UK citizens.
The figures contained in the summary of social housing needs assessment for 2025 were disclosed at a meeting of Mayo County Council's housing strategic policy committee.
A total of 1,046 households qualified for social housing in the county last year - a decrease of 52 since 2024, director of services Catherine McConnell set out.
The largest proportion were in the 30 to 39 age bracket and 61 per cent are one adult households. Fifty-one per cent are unemployed, 26 per cent are employed, and the balance is made up of people like pensioners, retirees, trainees or on back to work supports.
Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) are Irish citizens, a further 14 per cent are European, with four per cent from the UK, dispelling the impression that a huge amount of the list is made up of non-EU nationals.
Councillor Peter Flynn commented that the right wing cause that we are not looking after our own was not factually correct.
The majority are Irish people, mostly between 18 and 64, with a huge proportion unemployed.
At a time of full employment, the housing list is dominated by single individuals who are unemployed or in part-time employment.
Having been told the council is on target to deliver 169 social homes this year, Councillor Flynn noted the target for affordable homes was 'zero'.
What is going on at government level that the people in work are not recognised, he asked. There are so many working people who are struggling but the focus is on a cohort that opts out of working in a lot of cases and who are predominantly Irish and single.
He also highlighted the fact they were building a lot of three-bedroom houses but the numbers pointed towards one- and two-beds or apartments.
Disagreeing with the findings, Councillor Michael Kilcoyne said the numbers on the list had decreased as people were removed as their earnings had gone over €30,000. Yet they weren't eligible to apply for affordable housing.
Pointing out he is not anti-immigration, he commented on the Irish citizens on the list, noting that it only takes five years to become a citizen and it would be interesting to see how many were born here as opposed to naturalised citizens. He didn't mind them being on the list but it distorts the figures, he said.
A call for state-led construction to make inroads on demand for homes was issued by Councillor Harry Barrett, who lamented a 'dysfunctional system' that requires a minister who can take radical action. And affordable homes are needed, with low-income families 'invisible'.
He's looking forward to an upcoming meeting with the Land Development Agency to hear how their work can be expanded across the county.
* Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme