While it\u2019s clear we need to increase housing delivery, it\u2019s also vital that we maximise the use of existing properties, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O\u2019Callaghan.<\/p>\n
Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, who is the party\u2019s housing spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe annual report into the performance of local authorities published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) paints a worrying picture of persistent vacancy in our social housing stock.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Galway City, where there are thousands in need of a home, the council is taking on average 49.6 weeks to relet a vacant home. That\u2019s nearly a year of lying empty in a city that the Parliamentary Budget Office described as having the highest social housing need in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Limerick City and County, social homes sit empty for well over a year \u2013 61.8 weeks before being relet to new tenants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no need for these homes to lie empty for so long.<\/p>\n
\u201cSligo County Council have made significant progress tackling vacancy in their social housing stock over the past eight years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey brought their average time to relet a council home from 77.7 weeks in 2017 to 16.4 weeks in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing social homes sitting empty represents a slap in the face to the 115,425 households currently in need of a social home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Minister for Housing needs to get on top of this chronic waste in our social housing stock.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 19, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While it\u2019s clear we need to increase housing delivery, it\u2019s also vital that we maximise the use of existing properties, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O\u2019Callaghan. Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, who is the party\u2019s housing spokesperson, said: \u201cThe annual report into the performance of local authorities published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) paints […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,10,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cian-ocallaghan","category-housing-crisis","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n