'The housing issue in Offaly seems insurmountable' - concerns raised over ongoing issue

The proposed scheme of priority for affordable dwelling purchase arrangements for Offaly County Council was approved by James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on October 9. 

The purpose of the scheme of priority is to set out the manner in which Affordable Dwelling Purchasing Agreements are to be made to Offaly County Council, and the methodology that will be applied to determine the order of priority. 

The priority will be accorded to eligible households within the county where the demand for such arrangements exceeds the number of dwellings available. 

The admittance of the scheme prompted a discussion at the October meeting of Offaly County Council where councillors raised their concerns in relation to the current housing crisis across the county. 

Cathaoirleach John Leahy showed his support for the scheme asking for participants for the draft survey based around the consideration of the provision of affordable housing in Tullamore over the coming years under the government's 'Housing for All' plan. 

He commented that "house prices in Tullamore has spiralled out of control, I suggested the motion of affordable housing before and I was told the mathematical matrix doesn't add up".

He continued: "People who have finished college are not able to afford their own home, it's important for the council to give people a leg up on the housing ladder". 

Cllr Maher was wary of the new plans saying: "they should remove the term 'affordable' given the prices of the houses" as many buyers remain frustrated with the options for housing in the county. 

The size of the task ahead was highlighted by Cllr Aoife Masterson who explained "The housing issue in Offaly seems insurmountable given the resources we have".

Cllr Harvey agreed on the difficulty of the ongoing issue stating "the toughest job in the council is housing, I would like to see more retrofitting". 

There are currently no properties available under the scheme with any future affordable housing schemes progressed by the council to be advertised separately and a formal application process will apply in accordance with legislation. 

They also took stock of the current situation with a total figure of €2.5 million issued in housing grants with the housing supply in Offaly County Council housing stock at 2,222 up to September 2025 and 61 new homes delivered in 2025.

Cllr Sean O' Brien praised the allocation saying that "The €2.5 million is absolutely fantastic".

138 allocations were issued up until the end of end of September, 69% have additional needs or disabilities, 568 are awaiting social housing supports whilst 387 are receiving housing assistance payments. 

Temporary accommodation is being provided with expressions of interest taken for private emergency accommodation with  120 presentations of homeless people to date. 

Cllr O'Brien commented: "The homelessness is an area that concerns me, people have been offered accommodation in other counties but there has to be a response in our own county so we need to look at that". 

31% of the allocated tenancies this year have gone to individuals with disabilities or additional needs. 

Cllr Audrey Hennessy-Kennedy is however adamant that work needs to be done in the rural areas like the Birr municipal district. "It's great to see the housing strategy for people with disabilities. The sensory needs change for children with autism so their needs have to be addressed".  

The Traveller Accommodation programme also saw 15 standard houses allocated from January to September 2025.

Private developers are being tasked with providing more housing but councillors said that smaller villages must be prioritised with the Cathaoirleach pointing out "People in Shinrone, Moneygall and Belmont need houses, I tried to get private developers to come in to build houses and they won't do it".  

Cathaoirleach Leahy concluded the matter by insisting that the council must work fully in unison to tackle the problems going forward and keep constituents informed.