MCMANUS SLAMS FF/GREEN RESPONSE TO THE HOUSING CRISIS.
Issued : Friday 17 September, 2010
Labour Councillor Ronan McManus has expressed his anger at Fianna Fail
/Green response to the housing crisis.
The Marie-Antoinettes of Irish politics.
“Fianna Fail, after presiding over the single greatest property bubble in
the history of the state, has now created the greatest housing crisis. Here
in Wicklow, we have nearly 3,500 people on the housing lists. This number
is constantly growing due to the government’s refusal to allow the council
to build any new housing for the foreseeable future”, said Cllr. Ronan
McManus.
“The government has, as an alternative, introduced a subsidised leasing
scheme, through which Local Authorities could lease properties from private
landlords in order to transfer them to those on the housing list. This is
not a sustainable solution. This scheme gives no security of tenure to the
tenants and the temporary nature of the leases would prevent the natural
creation of communities within housing estates.”
“The leasing scheme relies on every local authority area having a reserve
of empty housing developments (ghost estates) that can be used for council
housing. Here in Wicklow we are now being punished for controlled and
responsible planning that has prevented ghost estates being created around
the county.”
“We have been told that the reason for the introduction of the scheme is to
provide a more cost-effective means of providing housing. A report from
the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has stated that there is no
economic or financial advantage in acquiring a house through a leasing
agreement when compared to a purchase. The report went on to criticise the
lack of a cost-benefit analysis before the scheme was introduced.”
“Bray Town Council is now in possession of three separate sites on which
housing could be built.While interest on loans taken out for the purchase of
these sites must now be paid, the sites cannot be developed for the next
few years. It is a ridiculous situation that in these times we are pouring
money down the sink with nothing to show for it.”
“It is clear that Fianna Fail and the Green Party are not serious about
tackling the housing problem in Ireland. The Marie-Antoinettes of Irish
politics; “Let them eat ghost-estates” is no solution at all.”
Cllr 
