Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway County Council is being urged to immediately address a staffing shortfall in its housing department.
The matter arose at this week's meeting of the Tuam Municipal District, where several councillors raised a litany of concerns.
Councillor Karey McHugh described the response times for applications under the Rebuilding Ireland scheme as "a joke".
She said house prices are going up by the week and the huge delays are leading to many people losing out on their only chance to own their own home.
Councillor Pete Roche noted there's often delays of several months between idle social homes being refurbished and tenants actually moving in.
While Councillor Andrew Reddington indicated on a recent visit to the housing department, he saw a stack of housing adaptation applications up to his torso.
Councillor Mary Hoade says the staff in the department are doing excellent work - but there just isn't enough of them:
