Social housing vacancy rates in Westmeath council low

Westmeath had one of the lowest local authority houses vacancy rates in the country last year. Coming in just behind Laois (0.8 per cent) and Wexford (0.94 per cent), Westmeath, with a vacancy rate of just 1.23 per cent was one of just seven local authorities across the state with vacancy rates below 2 per cent.

The figures are contained in the 2024 ‘Local Authority Performance Indicator Report’ from the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC). The report found that the number of dwellings in the ownership of the council on January 1, 2024 was 2,275, and over the course of 2024, a further 92 units were added to the stock.

Over the course of 2024, 83 local authority houses in Westmeath were retrofitted, and 82 of those achieved a BER of B2 or above. Of the 83, 79 had heat pumps installed.

The total number of private registered tenancies in Westmeath at the end of December 2024 was 5,299, and of those, 608 were inspected by the council, but 95.36 per cent were found to be non-compliant. Some 28 of the planning decisions made by Westmeath County Council in 2024 were appealed to An Bord Pleanála. In 71.43 per cent of the cases, the council decision was upheld. The report found that there was a significant increase in homelessness in Westmeath between 2023 and 2024. It rose by 71.4 per cent.