The urgent need for investment by the government in housing in County Mayo and in particular in the Castlebar Municipal District is one of the major issues that concerns Michael Kilcoyne.
One of the longest serving Independent Councillors in the county, Kilcoyne has campaigned over the years on many issues and is passionate that homes be provided for the most vulnerable people in our county who find themselves unable to provide housing for themselves.
“People are being refused mortgages by the banks and many of these people are not eligible to apply for a council house because of the income restrictions that have been introduced by Fine Gael and continue to be supported by Fianna Fail. For example, a couple in County Mayo with two children - if both parents are working full time and receiving the national minimum wage of €9.55 an hour, then they will not be eligible for a council house. If their household income exceeds €529 per week, they cannot go on the housing list in County Mayo and they will not receive a house from the Council. At the same time, they will be expected to continue to pay huge rent to greedy landlords, which is now averaging €750 per month or almost a third of their total income.
"Those people, your sons and daughters, have been condemned by Fine Gael to never having their own home.
If you believe that people do not have a right to a home of their own then you should vote for a Fine Gael or Fianna Fail candidate but if, like me, you believe that every citizen of our state has a right to have a home of their own, then please give me your number one vote and continue your preference to other like-minded candidates.”