Mayo councillors seek ministerial review of social housing income limits

COUNCILLORS in Mayo are to write to the Housing Minister to have income thresholds for social housing revised.

Income limits were set in 2011 and a couple with two children earning more than €27,500 will not qualify for a local authority home.

Councils should have some discretion to set income limits in their areas, a notice of motion tabled by Councillor Jarlath Munnelly at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council today set out. As a general rule, a family unit on the average industrial wage should qualify for local authority housing, he said.

Councillor Munnelly's motion, calling on the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to carry out a full review of social housing income limits, received the support of his colleagues and will now be forwarded on to the Housing Minister.

His Fine Gael colleague Councillor Peter Flynn said 'the people in the middle' were being excluded. They had brought their concerns to government and ultimately the government needs to make a decision about the threshold.

Describing the overall situation as 'ridiculous', Councillor John O'Malley said a lady with four children, one of whom has a severe health problem, had come to him – she was €15 over the threshold and her name could not be put down for a local authority home.

The official in the council couldn't do anything about it as that was the law.

Something needs to be done, he said. “This must change.”

Belmullet-based Councillor Gerry Coyle said they would follow this up with the minister and go 'again and again' until they get some satisfaction.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne said was probably the most important motion to come before them for a long time, highlighting how a couple on minimum wage are over the limit for housing.

They had an obligation to look after people and that discretion was given to councils.