Donegal County Council dead last on league table for social housing delivery
Local authority provides less than half the homes it was asked to under Housing for All Plan
Donegal County Council sits dead last on a league table comparing the delivery of new social housing between the State’s 31 local authorities.
The county council here achieved just 46% of the target set for it under the Government's Housing for All plan, providing 248 newly built social homes between 2022 and 2024, which is far shy of the 534 expected of it.
Laois, a county with a population just over half that of Donegal, provided 670 new social homes, or nearly twice the 359 target set for it, and leads the league table.
Donegal also compares poorly to counties with a similar population, such as Tipperary (537 homes provided, 99% of target), Mayo (304 homes, 77% of target) and Kerry (589 homes, 70% of target).
The figures include new-build units that were either directly built by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, or bought in a turnkey condition by local authorities and AHBs. They also include Part V acquisitions.
The figures form part of a league table that Minister for Housing James Browne is presenting to Cabinet, and which were leaked to the Irish Independent.
The release of the data is designed to ramp up pressure on under-performing councils to improve delivery rates of social homes, and deflect some of the criticism central government faces for the pace of house building towards local government.
Overall, local authorities delivered 23,414 new-build social homes over the past two years - 85% of the national target.
Donegal is one of 17 local authorities that fell short of target, while 14 local authorities achieved or exceeded target.
Dublin City Council, the largest local authority in the country, came second-last on the list, meeting just 49% of its target.
Donegal County Council, like all the others, will be required to update its county development plan in the coming months as part of the Government’s effort to boost the public supply of housing.
A special meeting of the council this week was told that around 500 social homes are currently under construction in the county.
Target > Output
1. Laois 359 > 670
2. Meath 832 > 1,405
3. Wicklow 847 > 1,206
4. Monaghan 238 > 316
5. Offaly 315 > 397
6. Kildare 1,179 > 1,324
7. Clare 502 > 563
8. Cork City 1,646 > 1,749
9. Louth 976 > 1,030
10. Kilkenny 472 > 493
11. Wexford 768 > 799
12. DLR 1,186 > 1,208
13. Carlow 262 > 266
14. South Dublin 1,821 > 1,825
15. Tipperary 543 > 537
16. Leitrim 82 > 80
17. Roscommon 135 > 111
18. Waterford 593 > 487
19. Westmeath 470 > 386
20. Mayo 395 > 304
21. Galway City 673 > 477
22. Kerry 843 > 589
23. Limerick 1,580 > 1,091
24. Cavan 312 > 212
25. Cork County 1,773 > 1,244
26. Fingal 1,755 > 1,176
27. Longford 225 > 143
28. Galway County 1,014 > 585
29. Sligo 270 > 149
30. Dublin City 4,800 > 2,344
31. Donegal 534 > 248
Total 27,400 > 23,414