Vacant houses are not a major feature here

Auctioneers in Westmeath have always claimed that the collapse of the economy hasn't left Westmeath with as many vacant houses as some other counties - and the Census figures released last Thursday bear that out.The number of housing units in the county rose by 4,018 in the four years from 2006 to 2011 - but the number of vacant houses is actually marginally less than in 2006.The figures show that there are 36,835 dwellings in Westmeath now. Five years ago, there were 32,817.(For more see this week's Examiner)