Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has criticised the Government's newly published housing plan, stating that it offers nothing new, just a reheating and repackaging of past failures.
Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady said:
“After months of delay, the Government has finally published its housing plan, and there is nothing new in it. It is simply a reheating and repackaging of past failures.”
“Here in Wicklow, we see the impact of Government failure more clearly than almost anywhere else. The average price of a three-bed semi in the county has now hit around €425,000. That places home ownership beyond the reach of countless working families.”
“Rents are escalating too. The average rent for a three-bed house in Wicklow has climbed to about €2,418 a month, up more than 6% in a year. Even the average listed rent across all property types is now over €2,000 per month. These are impossible figures for ordinary workers.”
“Despite this, the Government still refuses to increase its social and affordable housing targets, targets that were already too low and are still not being met.”
“There are no new measures to prevent or end long-term homelessness, and no credible plan for how the Government intends to meet its own commitment to end long-term homelessness by 2030.”
“There is nothing in the plan to support SME builders and developers who want to deliver good-quality homes for local families. Nothing to address the planning bottlenecks. And no additional investment in local authority planning departments, An Coimisiún Pleanála, or the planning courts.”
“Instead, the only concrete promise they are keeping is yet another attack on renters. From next March, even more renters will be hit with rip-off rents for the privilege of living in smaller, darker apartments.”
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have produced a housing plan designed for big investors and corporate landlords, not for ordinary people. For over a decade they have starved councils, including Wicklow County Council, of the resources needed to build public housing on public land.”
“All the while, they have showered investor funds and major developers with subsidies and tax breaks like confetti.”
“Wicklow families deserve better. Today could have been a genuine turning point. The Government could have adopted the Housing Commission’s recommendations, or Sinn Féin’s alternative housing plan. Instead, they chose more of the same: rising house prices, rising rents, rising homelessness, and a chronic shortage of homes to buy.” Ends