Why don't or why can't local authorities collect the Derelict Site Levy?

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The Dereliction law is from 1990.
The central Govt set the levy at 7% of the market value.

I use Sligo as an example. Their register has 37 sites.

Derelict Sites

www.sligococo.ie www.sligococo.ie

Sligo LA publish the list, with the names of owners, and the values of the sites.

Some sites were added as far back as 2007, 2008, 2010, etc.

The most valuable site was added this year: Swan Point apartment building, never occupied, in Sligo town centre.

After investigating further, I discovered that the LA has collected zero in levies.

In the middle of a housing crisis, with excessive vacancy and dereliction, the LA has collected zero revenue from this 7% levy.

The Sligo Housing Action Group asked the LA in Oct 2023 how much they had collected, and here is the answer:


https://x.com/SHAGsligo/status/1917846525545230579
"zero was collected prior to 2024"

In April 2025, the LA staff again confirmed that they have no collected any levies:

https://x.com/SHAGsligo/status/1917846533724402168/photo/1

Having looked at the values, but not added them up, I feel that 7% would be a not insignificant amount of revenue.

Does anybody have any idea why the LA aren't taking this more seriously and urgently collecting the revenues owed to them?
 
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If there was a desire to collect, then they'd collect.

We've far too many politicans, be they councillors, TDs, or whatever, with a conflict, or potential conflict, of interest.
 
www.irishtimes.com

How are buildings designated as derelict?

Properties on the Derelict Sites Register are subject to a 7 per cent levy
www.irishtimes.com www.irishtimes.com

"Properties on the Derelict Sites Register are subject to a 7 per cent levy, and interest on unpaid levies is at a rate of 1.25 per cent per month. Generally, local authorities only manage to recover the levies if the property is sold."
 
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Thanks for the link to the article in the Irish Times.

It seems that non-collection of the annual 7% Levy is normal.
 
Dr Strangelove said:
Most local authorities basically are staffed by people who are not very good at their job.
Click to expand...
The derelict property section of the Sligo Co Co web site is an excellent example of a very poor job. How is it possible to mess up a simple table and a few indented lists for crying out loud.
 
Dr Strangelove said:
job.
Click to expand...
In the last few years most local authorities are being run by politicians and not by the staff. Politicians who cost the tax payer a fortune with insane ideas and who should simply be told to Foxtrot Oscar .It really doesn’t matter whether the staff are useless or brilliant when most are ignored
 
It’s a question of willpower and motivation and is a tale of two parts. On the one hand is Limerick (City and County) Council who are using the legislation to good effect and achieving tangible results, and then there are the 30 other odd Councils who are sitting on their hands and achieving either nothing at all or pretty close to it. Limerick has more properties listed on its derelict sites register than the four Dublin authorities plus Cork city combined. Ten local authorities have never levied the owners of derelict sites; never; not once; ever. Here are some related articles:

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...-brings-hundreds-of-properties-back-into-use/

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/...site-levy-issued-in-10-local-authority-areas/

https://www.thejournal.ie/derelict-sites-councils-cpo-ireland-6691731-May2025/

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/...s-refurbished-derelict-homes/a1490914191.html

This is just a sample. There are plenty of other similar articles if you search for them. There was an article last year (can’t put my finger on it right now) that had a comparison table by Local Authority and it was jaw dropping.

All sorts of excuses are quoted, lack of resources, legal staff otherwise occupied, etc., etc. Put simply if Limerick can do it it’s difficult to see a justifiable reason why the rest can’t follow suit.

If there was a scintilla of competence in the Dept of Housing they would be all over this.
 
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