Workers’ Party rejects sale of council homes now and in the future

The Workers’ Party this evening expressed disappointment at Sinn Féin’s refusal to rule out supporting the sale of public housing in the future. Speaking after a special meeting of Dublin City Council this evening, called to discuss a Sinn Féin motion on the matter, Workers’ Party Cllr. Éilis Ryan said; “The Workers’ Party is opposed to the sale of public housing, and believes we should be expanding the amount of people who can access public housing, not reducing it. As a result, I could not support Sinn Fein’s motion, which included provisions to sell off Dublin City housing in the future.”

Cllr. Ryan said that, while Sinn Féin recognised the need to temporarily suspend the proposed tenant purchase scheme, their motion suggested they had joined the ranks of those believing that selling off public housing should be welcomed in the future, saying; “The Workers’ Party proposed that the motion be amended to rule out a tenant purchase scheme in the future. Unfortunately, Sinn Fein made it clear that they intended to sell off council housing in the future. All this will lead to is that, over time, more and more areas of the city become unaffordable to the vast majority of people, as it always has done in the past.”

The Workers’ Party councillor pointed to the contradiction between the fact that, just yesterday, Sinn Fein, Labour, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael voted in favour of “affordable rental” schemes in the private sector, involving significant state subsidy to private landlords, but were now somehow suggesting that everybody should have a “right to own their home – suggesting renting for life is fine in the private sector, but to be avoided in the public sector. Cllr. Ryan pointed to the Workers’ Party’s forthcoming housing policy proposing significant state investment in Public Housing for All, as the only sustainable way to create housing with dignity, saying; “Creating diverse, sustainable communities requires building more public housing, high quality and available for all, not less. It requires making public housing the option that people aspire to and choose, not the last option for those with no other choice. That’s what the Workers’ Party believes in.”

Notes: The motion proposed by the Sinn Fein group at Dublin City Council read as follows; “Dublin City Council expresses concern at the proposed sale of council housing to tenants and the impact it will have on our housing stock, in light of the current housing crisis we appeal to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to grant a derogation to Dublin City Council until such time that we have a building programme that meets the needs of those on our housing list” The amended motion read as follows; ““Dublin City Council expresses concern at the proposed sale of council housing to tenants and the impact it will have on our housing stock, in light of the current housing crisis we appeal to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to grant a derogation to Dublin City Council.”