Leitrim County Council has 458 households on its social housing waiting list, while a further 47 applications have yet to be validated, are awaiting additional information or are awaiting approval. Councillors say the shortage of available homes is fuelling frustration over allocations.
A total of 458 households are currently waiting for social housing in Leitrim, according to figures presented at a recent meeting of Manorhamilton Municipal District.
The council also has 47 social housing support applications that have not yet been validated, are awaiting further information or are awaiting approval.
The figures were discussed after Cllr Justin Warnock asked for an update on the number of households awaiting social housing in the Manorhamilton Municipal District, as well as the number of applications received but not yet processed.
In a written response, the Director of Services for Housing said a breakdown by municipal district could not be provided until applications had been approved or finalised.
Councillors receiving complaints over who gets housing
Cllr Warnock told the meeting that councillors were facing public criticism over social housing allocations, with some complainants saying local people were being overlooked in favour of applicants from other areas.
“We’re all getting emails that we’re looking after everybody but our own,” he said.
He also asked how many houses had been allocated for social housing so far in 2026, but the figure was not immediately available.
“We have people diving into the figures in this county and they’re coming out with the wrong stats. We shouldn’t have to take abuse for that,” he said.
Warnock argued that the overall number of social homes being allocated was so low that the number going to applicants from different areas would also be relatively small.
The council’s response provided the waiting-list total and the number of applications still being processed, but did not give the 2026 allocation figure or a breakdown for Manorhamilton Municipal District.
Call for more homes to be built
Warnock also raised the lack of suitable land in areas where housing is needed, saying the council should build houses rather than purchase existing properties.
The shortage of available homes was a central concern in the discussion, with demand for social housing continuing to exceed supply.
Cllr Pádraig Fallon said Leitrim delivers on housing when it receives adequate funding. He pointed to the council’s record of meeting its housing targets despite being a relatively small local authority.
“Those local authorities need to be rewarded,” he said.
Council says district breakdown is not yet available
The Director of Services for Housing confirmed the figures in the written response:
“There are currently 458 households on Leitrim County Council’s social housing waiting list.
“There are 47 social housing support applications that have been received by the Council which are yet to be validated, awaiting further information, or approved.
“It is not possible to determine a breakdown per Municipal District until applications are approved/finalised.”
The response means the figures available to councillors do not show how the waiting list is divided between individual municipal districts. The information provided also did not establish how long households have been waiting or how many homes had been allocated during 2026.
Separate motion seeks road improvements in Kiltyclogher
At the meeting, Warnock also put forward a motion asking the Roads Department to add the L61212 in Lattone, Kiltyclogher, to the Community Involvement Scheme for improvement works in 2027.
The response said that once the 2027 scheme opens, an application form could be sent to the interested party.
The road proposal was a separate item from the discussion about social housing waiting lists and allocations.
