Longford County must join with other rural councils to pressure the government into changing their new Housing for All plan.
That's according to local councillors following last month's launch of the Governments housing plan for the provision of social and affordable homes until 2030.
Longford is among 14 counties that will not qualify for the supports contained in the plan according to council officials.
According to a director of services with the Longford local authority, the Department has developed 7 criteria that a county has to meet to be eligible for affordable housing, and Longford will fail the first one immediately.
In a motion submitted to this week's meeting of Longford County Council, Councillor Gerry Warnock called for the local authority to reach out to the other affected counties across the country.
In the council chamber yesterday, the government's new housing plan was described as an attack on rural Ireland and the active discrimination of half the country.
One local councillor accused Housing Minister Daragh O'Brien of being 'too busy in Dublin eating steak and drinking red wine' to care about rural Ireland.
Councillors across the political divide registered their anger at the exclusion of Longford from the plan and unanimously agreed to the submitted motion.
