Bail out people on the housing list, not the developers

The Socialist Party regularly get heartbreaking calls from people waiting years on the Council’s housing list. The wait is particularly desperate for anyone on the 2-bed list as none are being built in Dublin 15 by the Council.

The Socialist Party regularly get heartbreaking calls from people waiting years on the Council’s housing list. The wait is particularly desperate for anyone on the 2-bed list as none are being built in Dublin 15 by the Council.

With thousands of houses/apartments now vacant or unsold, it is clear that these should be acquired to house families. To this end, Cllr Ruth Coppinger recently proposed that the Council seize the opportunity of the burst property bubble to negotiate with developers to acquire units at knock-down prices for social and affordable housing. This was agreed in February.

However, a government directive has since ordered Councils to enter into long-term agreements to rent – not buy – vacant units. This would mean tenants could be housed for a period of years, then evicted without a care, leaving developers free to sell units on when prices pick up. It also means continued costs to the taxpayer in rent subsidies to private landlords. This issue must be raised with FF and Green candidates who call to the doors — bail out those on the housing list not their developer friends.

Total
0
Shares
Previous Article

Child Benefit Cuts

Next Article

Littlepace says ‘No’ to N3 noise

Related Posts
Read More

Thatcher – A class warrior for capitalism

Millions have been waiting for this day, 8 April 2013. Margaret Thatcher will never be forgiven for the devastation that her Tory governments' policies wrought on working class communities in the 1980s - and is still being felt today. "I would suggest as a memorial to Mrs Thatcher that instead of the usual headstone or statue, a dance floor should be erected over her grave". This was proposed by a writer to the Observer paper from Durham, a former mining area, on the 30th anniversary of her coming to power.

Read More

Dublin Mid West: Rob Connolly

Rob Connolly has been active for years on many issues affecting  working people and communities in Dublin. Rob first became active in the anti water charges in the mid 1990s. That mass campaign was able to defeat the ‘Rainbow’ government of Labour, Fine Gael and Democratic Left, forcing them to abolish the hated tax nationally.