At its monthly meeting last night Dublin City Council adopted the following motion:
"Dublin City Council rejects the Government proposal that local authorities lease properties that are in the ownership of NAMA for the purpose of social housing. Instead Dublin City Council calls on the Governmenrt to transfer empty houses and apartments that are in the ownership of NAMA to the Council to be used as rental properties for Council tenants. This would have the effect of taking pressure off the housing list and securing rents and income for the Council."
Cllr Joan Collins of People Before Profit proposed the motion.
Councillor Collins said
*"Dublin is facing a major housing crises with thousands families on the waiting list. The collapse of the Celtic Tiger has left many families seeking social housing.
No money has been provided to the Council to build new social housing stock this year. It is grotesque that properties are lying empty when there is so much need. The state effectively owns these properties so why should hard pressed Councils be asked to lease these properties from developers who have bankrupted the country. It has been estimated that there are up to 4,000 vacant housing units in Dublin and over 6,000 families on the wating list. The solution to the housing crises seems obvious. ts time that we began to palce the needs of ordinary people before the greed of developers".*
Ends
Contact Joan Collins 086 3888151