Government failing to fund maintenance of council housing, says Doolan

Sinn Féin Leader on Dublin City Council and European election candidate for Dublin, Daithí Doolan, has called on the government to implement Sinn Féin’s proposals for maintenance of council housing.

Doolan’s comments come as the Dáil this week debates a Sinn Féin motion calling for increased funding for a specific fund for the regeneration of flat complexes and a process to bring social housing tenants under the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Doolan said in 2017, Ireland was found in breach of the European Social Charter because of the substandard condition of many social homes.

He said the current situation is forcing people to live in damp and cold homes that are mouldy and draughty.

“During the economic crash, local authority budgets were slashed and recruitment embargos saw housing maintenance staff reduced to a skeleton crew. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael oversaw this and have never restored these budgets,” he said.

Doolan’s comments are consistent with analysis that Ireland’s weakened local government as a result of austerity measures has resulted in local authorities not being able to tackle the housing crisis.

“The lived reality and conditions people are living in are shocking. It is important to remember that local authorities are landlords and that they are failing in their duty to their tenants. That is why we believe that social housing tenants should be brought under the RTB and allowed to take cases, similar to private tenants, against their landlord.”

“For too long Dublin City Council has been denied the funding to upgrade flat complexes in Inchicore, Drimnagh and across Dublin’s inner city.”

Doolan said it was time for the government to “stop burying its head in the sand; they are failing to fund local authorities and people are being left in Dickensian conditions.”

He said that his party has a plan that would ensure that people “live in high-quality, well-maintained homes. To deliver this, we need a strong Sinn Féin voice on councils.”

“Change starts locally, and that is why voting for change on June 7th is a crucial first step in undoing decades of disastrous Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy.”