Its Time To Show The Government The Door on The Housing Crisis. – Aontú
Aontú launched a detailed, costed housing policy. At the housing launch Aontú Leader and outgoing Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín stated:
“Housing is the biggest single failure of this government. The ramifications of the housing crisis are damaging practically every element of Irish life. Statistics released to Aontú under the Freedom of Information Act show that 400 homeless people have passed away in Dublin since 2018. There are 14,760 people officially register as homeless in this state. This is the equivalent of everyone who lives Killarney, Co Kerry homeless. This is equivalent to 180 class rooms of children, homeless in Ireland at the moment.
“These figures do not count the 500,000 adults are currently living with their parents. These figures do not count those who are sleeping rough or those who are sleeping on couches with friends. Tens of thousands of families are little more than a hike in rent or a big family cost like a broken-down car, away from homeless. Rents are pushing up wages and making it harder for small business to find staff or pay wages. Indeed Ireland is losing competitiveness internationally as a result of this government’s disastrous housing policy”.
· Aontú in government will provide 8,000 vacant home grants of up to €70,000 each costing the exchequer €560m a year. Aontú will significantly reduce the bureaucracy and red tape surrounding the drawing down of this funding.
· Aontú will provide a similar grant of up to €30,000 for refurbishment of above the shops accommodation. This will cost €60m. We will reduce the regulation that is stopping so many people living in the centre of towns.
· We will build 15,000 social and affordable homes a year for the life of the next Dáil. An increase of €1.5bn on government expenditure.
· Turnaround time for 4,000 empty local authority homes will be reduced from 8 months on average to 2 months.
· We will increase the number of planners by 500 and pay them a rate that ensures they will work in the public sector. This would cost €30m.
· We will introduce a no-fault eviction ban for tenants for a 2 year period.
· Aontú will zero rate VAT construction materials for the period of the next Dáil to lower the cost of building homes. This would cost €1.1bn.
· Aontú will reduce HBFI rates from 13% to 5% and subsidise the connection fees of utilities for new homes. This will reduce the cost of building homes and make
projects more viable.
· These two initiatives will reduce the cost of building homes and make projects more viable. These proposals would reduce the price of a house by €55,000 homes.
· Operation Shamrock: Aontú will build accommodation for returning workers in a speedy fashion under Class 17 of the Exempt Development Regulations. This would cut down the time of build radically. It would cost €350m.
· Aontú will also improve workforce planning and increase the number of construction apprentices from 1,500 a year to 3,000 a year.
· Aontú in government, in conjunction with An Bord Pleanála and local authorities, would produce a technical booklet in each Local Authority Area of pre-approved housing plans. These would include the various types of houses that would be
permissible to build in these areas. It would cut out much of the wait time being experienced by home-builders currently in the planning application process.
· Aontú will ban Air bnb in large towns and cities for a 2 year period to get short term lets back in to long term lets for families.
· Aontú will delete from Irish law the taxation advantages afforded to REITs over families. Aontú will end corporation tax and capital gains tax exemptions which REITs
currently have.
“Aontú has released innovative solutions to the crisis that this government has made. We are asking the people of Ireland to show this government the door and vote Aontú is make these policies a reality”.
