The Government has announced that it will build no more council houses! Delivery of social housing will now be by an extension of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and long-term leasing. These schemes will see councils rent houses and apartments at market value from a landlord and use it to house someone from the housing list. The tenant then pays a rent to the council. The length of the lease will be three, five, ten or twenty years.
This provides no security for the 4000 people on the housing list or any hope that they will ever get a permanent home of their own. The Labour Party Social Housing Minister, Willie Penrose, is bailing developers out yet again by leasing properties from bankrupt developers.
In Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council, 400 people received letters telling them they were no longer on the housing list, causing anger and upset. People Before Profit organised a public meeting and a Housing Action Campaign has now been established to campaign for a proper social housing policy. To get involved in the campaign text Melisa at 086 3805793.