More than 100 Council houses are currently lying empty in Galway City, as thousands of people languish on the waiting list.

The City Council has confirmed that 113 of its houses were vacant as of August 10.

Though it represents just 4% of the local authority’s 2,812 housing stock, it comes as more than 4,500 households were on the waiting list for a Council house in Galway City as of June 30 last.

A breakdown of the vacant Council houses by local electoral area shows there were 48 in Galway City East, 40 in Galway City Central and 25 in Galway City West.

The vacancy figures, which relate only to Council properties, were released to election hopeful Conor Dowd following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

As of August 9 of this year, the City Council’s Derelict Sites Register includes seven private properties across the city.

In its most recent Housing Report to councillors, the Council said it had 150 vacant units at the end of June awaiting pre-tenancy works or allocation to tenants.
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