Councillors are unhappy with housing application process
A Mayo councillor has criticised the application process for social and affordable housing, saying it is too long and drawn out and a waste of time.
Speaking at a meeting of Mayo County Council's housing strategic policy committee (SPC) last Thursday, Castlebar-based Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne stated: “At the moment it takes 20 weeks to carry out an assessment of a simple application form so it takes that long to get on the council housing list. And now they are doing surveys on 'has your need changed?', which ties applicants up for weeks and weeks and gives us no new information as to how we will accommodate people.
"There is only one way to reduce the list and that is to give people houses because the fact is they can’t rent because no properties are available to rent.”
Commenting on a housing needs report circulated to members by Head of Housing Olivia Gallagher, Castlebar-based Independent Cllr Harry Barrett said the report data was three years out of date and looked at gross earnings for couples instead of net.
“There is a growing cohort of middle-class earners who are outside the bracket of ever getting a mortgage. These are people working in the likes of Allergan and Baxter and it is they I am extremely worried about.”
Foxford-based Fine Gael Cllr Neil Cruise said instead of complicating the application process by offering people three locations, it would be better to bring people back to where they came from, rather than have them express aspirations about living in other parts of the county."
