Minister Robert Troy's had stated that workers should get priority for social housing saying it is “incentivise people to work” and make the system “fairer”.
Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Mr Troy said he made the submission to his local Westmeath County Council, where the Council’s housing strategic policy committee is carrying out a review of its letting priorities.
Cllr Farrell said: "I would fully agree with it. People on low wages should get priority because they have no means of getting a mortgage. I would agree with it and think it is a great idea."
Mr Troy stressed that while people who work “should get additional points or a weighted system”, he was talking about “excluding be people who cannot work because they have a full-time disability, full-time carers, or single parents with no access to child care”.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Troy explained that Westmeath County Council is reviewing it's scheme of letting priorities and it is “important” to look at means of assisting people who are “working very hard and can’t get access to a permanent home”.
Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn noted that the threshold for social housing in Leitrim was around €3,000 but "may go up a bit if you have dependents; it's very low."
She continued that the cost to build a house is approx. €450,000 in the county.
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Cllr Reynolds-Flynn said that it was vital to look after those who "cannot afford to house themselves but now we have a situation where it's like the new poor so how do we get the middle income people housed?"
She said that the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, which helps people on moderate incomes to buy new homes at reduced prices, can provide houses for those who are being squeezed in the middle.
