Only 18 borrowers obtained housing loans through county council in 2024

A total of 40 applications for local authority home loans were received by Westmeath County Council during 2024, and 18 were approved for funding, according to figures presented to councillors last week.

The remaining 22 applications were classified as either ineligible, awaiting further information, withdrawn, or declined by the Housing Agency, the national body responsible for assessing housing loan applications under the Housing Loans Credit Policy Guidelines.

The figures were released following a motion from Cllr Bill Collentine at the December meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, as he sought details on the number of housing loan applications and approvals made during 2024.

Council officials noted that applications are reviewed by underwriters at the Housing Agency, which makes recommendations to the local authority in line with national guidelines.

Cllr Collentine remarked that many people did not know they could apply to Westmeath County Council for a housing loan. “The lack of information is stopping people before they even start,” he asserted.

“When you go back some years ago, there would be thousands looking for loans and they were the types of loan that kept the middle income and the lower income person able to buy a house; able to get their own house; able to move on.”

He also disapproved of the fact that people could only apply for council loans if they had been refused by two other lenders, and was critical of the lack of serviced sites available.

Cllr Collentine asked if those were national policies or specific to Westmeath.

Cllr Ken Glynn was in agreement, stating that the council loan scheme was difficult and restrictive and he wondered could it be amended, while Cllr Denis Leonard was “appalled” to see how low the figure had become: “I think we need to get back to the council as ‘an honest broker’ providing an honest loan to people who would pay it back over a period of time,” he said.

The district executive agreed to write a letter for the appropriate government department setting out the points raised.