Housing is unaffordable for most Longford workers and a generation of young people
Longford Westmeath Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke: 'Government is failing on housing'
Sinn Féin TD for Longford Westmeath and Spokesperson on Defence Sorca Clarke for has said that her party’s proposals would make housing affordable again.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Clarke said: “Government is failing on housing. It has become unaffordable for most ordinary workers, while homeownership is out of the reach of a whole generation of young people.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to buy a home as the cost of housing has increased by 30% since 2016, while the cost of renting has increased by 44% in the same period.
“Here in the Midlands, house prices have increased by 6.7% in one year, the region outside of Dublin with the highest price increase.
“We need to get house prices under control after years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s failure and give first time buyers - and others trying to secure a home - a chance.
“In Budget 2019, government allocated €300m to deliver 6000 affordable purchase homes by 2021. To date not a single affordable purchase home has been delivered from this funding.
“It does not have to be this way. Sinn Féin has the solutions to remedy successive failures and to take immediate steps to make housing affordable again.
“We need action now to ensure first time buyers and other working people are able to access affordable homes to rent and buy in both our suburbs, our cities and our towns and villages.
“An end to the tax breaks enjoyed by the vulture funds can be implemented immediately while changes to our planning laws will take longer to effect. To add serious insult to injuries inflicted by these funds on our citizens, it transpires that not only was the welcome mat decorated with tax breaks rolled out to greet them but taxpayers money was given to these vultures to allow them to price home buyers out of the housing market.
Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Finance Teachta Pearse Doherty, has called on the Minister for Finance to clarify the level of funding he has provided through the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and Home Building Finance Ireland, to investment funds that have proceeded to snap up new homes.
“We also demand an end to the sale or gifting of residential public land to private developers, to ensure that all homes on such land are social, affordable cost rental and affordable purchase.
“If the government takes on board our proposals, we can make housing affordable again.”