Compulsory Purchase Orders must be initiated by the Galway City Council on empty houses throughout the city so as to renovate them and make them available on the housing waiting list.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway City East councillor, Alan Cheevers. There are currently more than 4,000 households - which includes both individuals and families - on the waiting list for a house in the city.
Cllr Cheevers is calling on City Hall to penalize those landlords “who have left houses vacant for a long period”. He cited the example of Louth County Council which has issued CPOs on more than 100 homes which were long term vacant in order to put them back into the housing stock.
“We need the will from the Galway City Council to act,” he said. “It is not acceptable that it is taking so long for CPOs on some of these long term vacant properties.”
