Croí Conaithe scheme 'is now a small industry'
The amount of paperwork around the Croí Conaithe housing scheme is making it impossible for applicants and turning the whole scheme into a small industry, according to a Mayo councillor.
Cllr Peter Flynn told last week's meeting of Mayo Co Cuncil that 729 Croí Conaithe grants have been approved in Mayo, with 101 in progress and only 25 have been paid.
"What has become clear is that in relation to the process of people reclaiming money, what seems to have evolved is we have turned it into a small industry. The amount of time and effort that has to go into providing every single receipt, whether it is for €5 or €105. There seems to be an army of people working on it and not bringing any value to the process overall.
“I propose we write to the Department of Housing and our TDs to amend the scheme so that people can draw down on a certificate basis signed off by engineers on completion of different phases, rather than having to keep receipts and be subject to random audits. We don’t want people to have to have an accountancy file in the background. Just let the council engineer sign off to say 50% or whatever of the works are complete with the receipts to be there in the event they are needed.”
Cllr Donna Sheridan said she was that person who sat evening after evening, probably for three weeks, scanning in receipts, adding: “The amount of work and administration is huge. I have seen people almost give up on it and have helped them through it, so I agree the system must be changed, such that each section, whether it be for bathrooms, once you have them tiled, you are given the amount involved.”
The Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme was launched in 2022 under the Government’s Housing for All Policy. It was initially aimed at tackling vacancy and dereliction in urban centres; however, funding has increased over the years, and the scheme has expanded to include rural dwellings.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
