Housing grant fund was not fully drawn down in Mayo

A local councillor has queried why €1.8m in grants allocated to Mayo Co Council for housing adaptation supports was not drawn down.

Independent Cllr Harry Barrett raised the issue at last week's council meeting after a presentation on the local authority's finances by Director of Finance Peter Duggan in which it was revealed that €1.8m of the budgeted €11.6m was unspent in 2025.

"That represents a 15.5% underspend on housing grants and that is unacceptable. This is central funding for housing adaptation grants that is crucial for some people, whether to install stairlifts or a downstairs toilets for those badly in need, so I would like to know how this underspend happened. 

"I don’t like the concept of any central funding going back and I propose there has to be some form of an alarm built in regarding such allocations in order to activate action in all municipal districts to spend that underspend.” 

Mr Duggan explained that the schemes are demand-led so the underspend meant there were fewer applications than the council budgeted for.

"It is not that we are denying anybody grants," he cautioned.

However, Cllr Patsy O’Brien said the refusal of grant applications was another reason for the underspend.

“I can well understand the 15% not being spent because I know many who applied but were turned down. If we keep going this way we will certainly be returning 15% to government and I now make a plea for all the allocation to be spent. 

"I know a person looking after an elderly person and their application has been refused because they have double glazing, but it is inferior. They have appealed but nothing has happened."

Cllr Gerry Coyle said he was confused by the whole thing, telling the finance director: “You are saying the money hasn’t been applied for. If that is the case, can it be transferred over to the pyrite houses belonging to the council in Carrowteige and Pullathomas as it is a national disgrace that these houses are falling down. [The council] own these houses so if there is money to spare in any account, for God’s sake put into that and get those houses repaired.” 

Director of Services Catherine McConnell clarified that the details of the Government's redress scheme for defective blocks in council houses is due to be announced “in the next couple of weeks”, to which Cllr Coyle replied that they had been waiting a long time for it.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Sean Carey welcomed the news about the redress scheme.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.