Frustration expressed as skills shortage and utility delays blamed for housing shortfall

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

An update was provided at the November monthly meeting of Sligo County Council in relation to the local authority’s Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026 and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) delivery targets with confidence expressed that 97% of targets will have been reached by the end of next year despite figures for 2025 indicating a delivery target of 43%.

Over the lifetime of the Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-26, the expected delivery is 502 units, with a further 33 units to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027. The 502 units represents 97% of the total HDAP delivery target for Sligo County Council.

The report also revealed that progress is being made at a number of sites where development is ongoing. In Camros, Ballymote 18 units will be delivered by the end of this year with a further 21 expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2026. In Carney 25 units are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year while Robbers’ Lane, Maugheraboy will see 62 units delivered in the same time period.

Sligo County Council’s target at the start of this year was for the delivery of 159 units. At the end of 2025, the expected delivery is 53 units, with a further 109 units forecast to be delivered in the first three months of 2026.

The reasons for the delays and shortfall were blamed on two factors – shortage of construction trades and skills in the Sligo area and delays caused by utility companies Uisce Eireann and ESB Networks.

Cllr Thomas Walsh expressed his disappointment at the figures saying, “It is extremely disappointing that we have these issues. These two companies aren’t doing their job. The Minister needs to intervene. We all get representations in relation to the slowness of Uisce Eireann. We are reliant on these services to do their job.

Cllr Walsh added, “Communication is poor, delivery is poor. It is not of a standard we would expect. The Minister needs to do something about it. I am not sure why he changed a Minister who was on top of his brief.”

Reacting to the figures, Cllr Michael Clarke said, “No doubt because of a shortage of labour we are going to see a slippage next year as well. We have a plan in place, we have the money, we don’t have the people to deliver.”

Referring to the shortage of workers in certain trades and the number of suitably qualified Irish people working abroad, Cllr Edel McSharry said, “We need the basics and that is what we are really missing. I know young fellows that will be five and a half years in the system waiting to become plumbers. We need to find a way to attract back our talent.”

Cllr Gino O’Boyle insisted action must be taken saying, “The demand for social housing is getting beyond a joke. There has to be some urgency.”

Cllr Paul Taylor offered the opinion that more needs to be done to encourage and incentivize people in the building industry to become self-employed saying, "The crux of the problem is nobody wants to be self-employed. You have no financial stability if you are self-employed. We need and want developers but nobody wants to be self-employed. You can’t be left hanging for €20-€30,000, maybe €100,000 and that's why you don’t have that type of labour. You would have people coming back if they were given that stability. That’s why we can’t entice people. There is good money, better money than there ever was but they need stability."

Echoing those sentiments Cllr Dara Mulvey said, “I know a lot of people in that scenario. They got burned in the last crash and no money would entice them back because of what happened. There is no stability.”

Referring to the presence of students from ATU being in attendance in the Council Chamber, Cllr Ann Higgins said, “The students must be scratching their head because nothing is changing. We really need to be giving this generation hope.”