Concerns grow over older persons’ grant as Wicklow council clarifies funding limits
The Wicklow PeopleWicklow County Council has sought to address growing concern over the future of its Older Persons’ Grants scheme, after questions were raised about whether the programme had effectively been paused due to funding pressures.
The issue came to the fore when Cllr Gail Dunne said he had been contacted by several residents who were told their already approved grants were now on hold, prompting him to request clarity from senior officials.
Cllr Dunne told the chamber he was disappointed to learn that some applicants, including people who had already received approval for essential home works, were now being informed that their grants could not proceed.
He described the scheme as one of the council’s most successful supports for older residents and stressed that many people were now left uncertain about whether vital adaptations would go ahead. Cllr Dunne asked whether the council had run out of funding, whether the scheme had been suspended, and whether additional Government support could be sought to meet demand.
Responding to the concerns, director of services Michael Nicholson said the situation was more complex than a simple suspension. He explained that the council operates two separate grant streams: private grants and grants for council owned homes.
For private grants, the council received an allocation of €4.5 million for the year and has already issued approvals totalling that full amount.
Because approvals now match the allocation, Mr Nicholson said the council must temporarily limit new applications until it can determine how much of the approved funding will actually be drawn down in 2024.
To clarify this, the council has written to all approved applicants asking whether they still intend to proceed with the works and whether they expect to draw down the funding this year or next year.
Mr Nicholson noted that many of the private-house grants involve large scale projects, often €40,000 to €50,000, which can require planning permission and lengthy construction timelines.
As a result, he expects that a significant portion of the approved funding may not be claimed. If that proves to be the case, the council will regain capacity to accept additional applications later in the year.
Mr Nicholson stressed that the scheme has not been suspended. Instead, the council is currently restricting intake to Priority 1 cases, which cover the most urgent needs.
Priorities 2 and 3, which include less critical works, may reopen once the council has a clearer picture of how much of the €4.5 million allocation will be used before year end. He said the review process is ongoing and expressed optimism that further applications could be accepted once the drawdown pattern becomes clearer.
Cllr Dunne reiterated the importance of the grants to older residents, many of whom depend on them to remain safely in their homes.
He urged the council to continue pressing for additional government funding to ensure that no vulnerable resident is left waiting unnecessarily.
The matter is expected to return to the council later in the year once the review is complete and the likely drawdown of funds is confirmed.