Target of retrofitting 36,500 local authority homes by 2030 unlikely to be met, watchdog says

Dublin City recorded the highest number of homes upgraded, at 327, followed by Co Cork at 208 and Donegal at 200.

The national target of retrofitting 36,500 local authority homes by 2030 is unlikely to be met, due to the current pace of activity, according to a new report.

The Local Authority Performance Indicator Report for 2025 found only 2,671 homes in local authorities were retrofitted, an increase of 37 homes compared to 2024.

Dublin City recorded the highest number of homes upgraded, at 327, followed by Co Cork at 208 and Donegal at 200.

The lowest number of homes retrofitted were in Mayo (11), Westmeath (14) and Leitrim (16).

The report from the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) also found by the end of 2025, local authorities owned 158,773 social housing units across the country. The number of homes added to their stock sat at 4,324 — a decrease of 18.78%.

There were 3,866 units vacant at the end of 2025; this was down by 385 units when compared to 2024. NOAC said the overall vacancy rate stood at 2.44%, which was the lowest point since 2015.

Looking at households across the country, 80.52% were now able to avail of a three-bin waste collection service — up by 22.09% when compared to 2014.

NOAC said this amounted to 1,478,857 households across all 31 local authorities, and was a 14,77% increase on 2024.

Separately, the report also found 82.45% of motor tax transactions were carried out online — this doubled when compared to 2015.

Other figures from the report include:

• 85,504 environmental complaints were received in 2025 — 99% of them were closed before the year ended;
• Some 421.2km of regional roads and 2,221.4km of local roads were strengthened in 2025;
• Library usage also increased significantly, with members borrowing 22.8 million items across the country;
• 268.675.52 days were lost to certified sick leave in local authorities last year.

NOAC chair Michael McCarthy said it welcomed the “continued reduction in local authority housing vacancies and the strong financial performance achieved by many authorities”.

“Local authorities play a crucial role in supporting communities around Ireland, and their commitment is evident in this year’s report.

“We particularly welcome the continued reduction in local authority housing vacancies and the strong financial performance achieved by many authorities, including improvements in commercial rates collection and reductions in accumulated revenue deficits.

“These achievements reflect the focused efforts of local authorities to improve service delivery and strengthen financial resilience,” he added.