Housing Crisis in Minister Burton’s Constituency caused by Labour back-tracking on pre Election Policy

 

 

Today, April 15th  there are no available properties under the rent cap allowance in Minister Burton’s own constituency of Dublin 15.  The maximum allowance for a family with 3 children is €950 per month. There are three two bed room units available within this cap and all three properties state “rent allowance not accepted”.. In other categories, the situation is even more dire, wiyth no properties even advertised.

 

Minister Joan Burton has made multiple decisions that have led to a crisis in her own constituency and throughout the country.  There is a lack of social housing yet her policies take no account of this reality and will lead to a flood of homelessness and the break-up of families and communities. Unrealistic rent caps and the withdrawal of temporary mortgage support for people who lose their jobs (Mortgage Interest Supplement) means that both people on the social housing list and people with distressed mortgages are placed in a real and substantial risk of homelessness.  

 

Fingal County Coucil had 9,082 households on the social housing list as of April 2012 and there are no new social housing units being built. On average there are 450 units allocatated annuallly, which means that people can expect a 10 year wait to be housed and this is before the avalanche of repossessions add to the list.

 

  • In February 2011, the Labour Party released a policy document on Distressed Mortgages  which stated in it’s summary that it intended in “Making greater use of Mortgage Interest Supplement to support home owners who cannot meet their mortgage payments, which is a cheaper and better value option than paying rent supplement when a person loses their home.

In Budget 2014 Minister Burton ceased all Mortgage Interest Supplement for new applicants and phased it out for existing recipients in a complete backtrack of pre-election policy. This coincided with the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2013.which will make it easier for families to be evicted from their homes and placed on an overburdened social housing list that will end up costing the state more.

 

Louise Bayliss and Memet Uludag are People Before Profit Alliance candidiates standing in Minister Burton’s constituency in the Mulhuddart and Castleknock ward respectively and see this as a prime example of the backtracking of Labour and the poor rationale used in their policy decisions.

 

Louise Bayliss says “While many candidates are standing on a platform of anti property and water charges, there is a deeper more fundamental issue where a lack of cohesive policy is costing the state more and destroying the stability of families and communities. Housing must be seen as a national crisis as a matter of urgency.”

 

Memet Uludag with a similar statement says   “The issue of housing goes right to the core of our society. Lack of housing has a long lasting impact on our communities. Without proper provision of housing for all, every other issue we face becomes secondary. The future of our children depends on having a place that they can call home”. 

 

Ends..