More must be done to tackle housing crisis
Tuesday 13 May 2014Mandate Trade Union has criticised the inaction of the Irish government who are refusing to tackle the housing crisis across the country.
It is estimated that 90,000 households are in need of social housing yet it appears government is planning to cut spending instead of increasing investment.
John Douglas, Mandate General Secretary said, “Dublin City Council – the largest housing provider in the country – will this year spend €80m on social housing, a sum that is already totally inadequate.
“Yet next year, the Council are planning to cut spending by almost half to €44.5m. This is completely unacceptable.”
Mr Douglas said, “Housing is a right and the government’s hands off approach and reliance on the free market is contributing to the social and economic crisis in this country. It is also contributing to misery for thousands of families across the state who are subjected to unnecessarily protracted housing lists.”
It is Mandate’s belief that government would be better off investing significantly in social housing construction projects rather than concentrating almost solely in pumping millions into rent supplements which go directly to private landlords.
“The shortage in accommodation has seen rents rise right across the country with Dublin experiencing a 22 percent increase in three years. This is not good for ordinary workers and it’s not good for the real economy.”
Mr Douglas explained, “When a worker has to spend more than 50 percent of their income on simply putting a roof over their head, it means they have less ability to pay for essential items like food and clothing. This has been one of the contributory factors towards the increases in poverty and deprivation levels in Ireland and it has also been a factor in damaging jobs in the retail and hospitality sectors.”
Mandate say it is logical from an economic and social perspective for a more hands on approach to the housing crisis.
“While there are 90,000 households on the social housing lists and an estimated 5,000 people homeless, we have tens of thousands of construction workers looking for jobs. The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) believe that up to 35,000 jobs could be created in direct employment should the government choose to address this problem.
He added, “It is simply not good enough to rely on a market system which has completely failed in the past. With the European and local elections coming up, this is a make or break issue for people and our political parties need to declare their stance on social housing and take the necessary steps to tackle this crisis.”
Mr Douglas concluded, “People are beginning to understand that this housing crisis is a matter of choice for government. They’re also realising that as voters, they’ll have an opportunity to make their own choice on May 23rd.”
