Mayo councillors pledge to “Take the Gloves Off!” on vacancy and dereliction
By Caoimhín Rowland
Mayo’s housing crisis hit boiling point at a housing SPC meeting this week, with councillors demanding action and calling out vacant homes, dereliction, and short-term rentals.
Independent Castlebar councillor Harry Barrett didn’t mince his words. “A young mother walks past vacant houses with her daughter while they head to emergency accommodation. A young lad I taught can’t afford a house in Castlebar and has to live apart from his child and partner,” he fumed. “So many people can’t get a place in this town.”
Barrett slammed the council’s sluggish response to the crisis. “We’ve tried the carrot for years. Referencing the up to €103,000 in grant aid and supports for landlords with vacant or derelict homes.
Now it’s time to take the gloves off!” he declared, calling for a derelict sites officer to be appointed for each electoral area. He pushed for maximum use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) and tore into short-term rental platforms like Airbnb. “It’s a vampire, sucking supply from this county,” he warned.
Barrett vowed to go head-to-head with the council CEO, Kevin Kelly. “I’m going to war to get the staff we need. This is a moral disgrace!” he said, as young people in their 20s and 30s are left struggling to find affordable accommodation.
The frustration was shared by other councillors. Fine Gael’s Alma Gallagher remarked that Mayo collected a measly €14,000 in derelict site taxes, the second-worst performance in the country. “We need to get tough and let Revenue take over collections,” Gallagher argued. “There’s over €100,000 out there for renovations, a use-it or lose-it law needs to be brought in."
Councillor Michael Kilcoyne didn’t hold back either. “When landlords get a letter from Revenue, they’ll respond fast enough!” he said bluntly.
Cathaoirleach Peter Flynn went a step further, suggesting a €2,000 fine for homes left empty for six months or more. “If you’ve got a house on the west coast but live in Dublin, it’s time to decide where you want to be, we can use the electoral register, implement by-laws,” he said.