Sinn Féin has welcomed confirmation from the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council that a special emergency meeting of Wicklow County Council will take place on Monday, 28th September, following a formal request from Councillors Warren O’Toole and John Ward, supported by eight council colleagues.
The time of the meeting has yet to be formally confirmed.
The special meeting follows growing concern among council tenants across Wicklow about significant increases being introduced under the Council’s new rent scheme, which is due to come into effect on 3rd October.
Arklow Sinn Féin Councillor Warren O’Toole said:
“We welcome the confirmation that the special emergency meeting will take place on Monday, 28th September. This is a small but important result following the formal request made by myself and Councillor John Ward, with the support of eight of our council colleagues.
“I want to thank those eight councillors who signed the formal request and supported our call for the council to urgently address the concerns being raised by tenants.
“However, securing this meeting was never the objective in itself. The objective remains very clear: we want to see the planned rent increases halted.
“Myself and Councillor John Ward have been inundated with queries from tenants who are extremely worried about what these increases will mean for their household finances. The constituency offices of John Brady TD and Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin TD have also been overwhelmed with calls, emails and messages from council tenants who are concerned, shocked and frightened by the scale of the increases they are facing. Some people have reported increases of more than 100%, despite their household incomes remaining static since the previous rent review.
“The new scheme is due to come into effect on 3rd October. That leaves very little time for the elected members to properly consider the consequences and for the concerns of tenants to be addressed.
“We will be organising a protest to coincide with the special meeting, to give council tenants and others affected by these increases an opportunity to make their voices heard.
“The time of the meeting has not yet been formalised. Once it is confirmed, we will announce the details of the protest and encourage everyone affected to come along and stand with us.
“The message from Sinn Féin is straightforward: these planned rent increases should be halted, and the Council needs to properly assess their impact on tenants and families across Wicklow.”
Bray Sinn Féin Councillor John Ward said:
“The confirmation of this special emergency meeting is welcome, and I also want to thank the eight councillors who supported the formal request.
“But we should be clear that this is only the next step. The real issue is the impact these rent increases are going to have on households across Wicklow.
“We have heard from tenants who are frightened about how they will manage these increases, particularly at a time when household budgets are already under enormous pressure.
“The Council now has an opportunity to properly listen to tenants, examine the scale of these increases and address the serious concerns that have been raised.
“We will also be presenting the petition that we have launched. It has already collected over 1,000 signatures in a couple of days.
“The implementation date of 3rd October is fast approaching. We are calling for the planned increases to be halted and for a proper assessment of their impact to take place.
“Sinn Féin will continue to stand with council tenants and will ensure their concerns are brought directly to the elected members at this meeting and beyond.”
Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, said:
“I welcome confirmation that the special emergency meeting will take place on Monday, 28th September.
“My constituency office has been overwhelmed with calls, emails and messages from council tenants who are concerned, shocked and frightened by the rent increases they have been notified of.
“A huge number of constituents have contacted us about these rent increases, with many reporting dramatic increases in their weekly rent. For some households, the increases being reported are more than 100%.
“The confirmation of this meeting provides an opportunity for elected members to properly consider the impact these changes will have on tenants and families.
“However, with the new scheme due to take effect on 3rd October, there is no time to waste. The focus now must be on halting these planned increases and ensuring that the concerns of tenants are properly addressed.”
Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow-Wexford, Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, said:
“I welcome the confirmation of this special meeting and want to acknowledge the councillors who supported the formal request.
“My constituency office has also been overwhelmed with calls, emails and messages from council tenants who are deeply concerned, shocked and frightened about the impact these increases will have on their households.
“The meeting must now be used to properly examine the impact of the proposed rent increases and to give tenants a meaningful opportunity to have their concerns heard.
“Sinn Féin’s objective remains to see these planned increases halted. We will continue to support tenants and press Wicklow County Council to take their concerns seriously.
“Details of the protest will be announced as soon as the time of Monday’s special meeting is formally confirmed.”
ENDS