Thousands of council house lie empty as homeless numbers grow

Thousands of council homes continue to lie vacant, despite the growing numbers of families desperate for housing.

About 5,000 homes were empty at the start of 2015, an increase of several hundred on the previous year, and the average length of time for homes to be relet rose to 32 weeks, from 27 weeks.

Delays were longest in Cork City, where the council took, on average, more than a year and half to get new tenants in place. Laois County Council had the fastest turnaround time of 10 weeks.