Mayo Councillor seeks detailed information on social housing data

Aontú Councillor Deirdre Lawless has welcomed the successful passage of her motion seeking detailed information on social housing allocations and waiting list demographics, describing it as an important step towards informed housing policy and greater transparency.

Speaking at this week's Mayo County Council meeting, Councillor Deirdre Lawless challenged the response provided to her motion, which sought six separate pieces of information relating to social housing applicants and allocations by nationality and citizenship.

“I tabled a motion asking six questions about our social housing list. Who is on it, and who is getting the houses, by nationality and citizenship. On five of those questions, it says the information 'is not available'.

"The information is there," Councillor Lawless said. "The council's own social housing application form asks applicants to provide details of their nationality, citizenship status and date of entry to Ireland. Yet when these figures were requested, I was told much of the information was not available."

Councillor Lawless argued that access to accurate housing data is essential for councillors tasked with making housing policy decisions and ensuring public confidence in the system.

"Data is not political. Information is not political. It is simply fact. Good decisions come from good information, and elected members need access to that information if we are to make informed decisions on behalf of the people of Mayo. Last year one in four households on Mayo’s list was not an Irish citizen.

“There are currently 1,046 households on Mayo's social housing waiting list. These include young couples living with their parents, older people, families living in insecure rental accommodation whose homes could be sold from under them.

"Every person on the waiting list deserves to know the system is fair, transparent and accountable," she said. "Equally, councillors deserve access to the information necessary to properly scrutinise housing policy."

Councillor Lawless also used the debate to highlight what she described as a growing disconnect between social housing eligibility criteria and the reality facing working households across Mayo.

"One of the most significant issues emerging from this discussion is the income threshold for social housing support. There are many hardworking local people whose incomes place them marginally above the current threshold, yet they still cannot afford to buy or rent a home in today's market."

She said this growing cohort of households often find themselves excluded from social housing while simultaneously being unable to secure housing through the private market.

"These are ordinary working people who are contributing to their communities, paying their taxes and doing everything right, yet they find themselves locked out of support because they earn slightly above an outdated threshold. We must start having an honest conversation about whether current eligibility rules reflect the realities facing families in Mayo.”

During her contribution, Councillor Lawless also raised concerns regarding the impact of sustained population growth on housing demand nationally.

"We all agree that more homes need to be built, but housing is affected by both supply and demand. Government policy focuses heavily on increasing supply, which is important, but we must also understand the demand and analyse it."

She noted that Ireland's population has increased by nearly a quarter of a million people in the last three years, mainly due to inward migration, and argued that policymakers need accurate data to plan housing, infrastructure and public services effectively.

“The population increase equates to nearly double the population of Mayo in such a short time. Infrastructure is not matching this rapid growth, and we need to be honest about the pressures this places on our services and housing. If demand keeps outrunning supply like this, we’ll be in a housing crisis for decades. You can’t plan for demand you refuse to measure.”

Councillor Lawless pointed out that other local authorities, including Dublin City Council, have been able to provide detailed breakdowns of social housing waiting lists and allocations by nationality and citizenship.

"If other local authorities can produce this information, there is no reason Mayo should not be able to do the same," she said.

“The motion calls on Mayo County Council to provide annual reporting on social housing allocations by nationality and citizenship, covering both Mayo County Council properties and homes delivered through Approved Housing Bodies.”

Concluding, Councillor Lawless said the debate demonstrated the need for greater openness and evidence-led policymaking in housing.

"Housing remains the single biggest issue facing many families across Mayo. If we are serious about addressing it, we must start with the facts. Transparency builds trust, and good policy begins with good information."