Move to increase social rents branded as an ‘attack on poor’

By Mary Dennehy

LOCAL councillors shot down a motion to increase social housing rental rates, with the move branded an “attack on the poorest people” in the county at the recent council meeting.

Tabled by Fine Gael councillor Brian Lawlor, the motion asked South Dublin County Council to increase the differential rent by two per cent per year for the next three years – a total increase of six per cent, with the rate reviewed yearly after that.

Speaking in council chambers, Cllr Lawlor said that his reasoning behind the motion was to bring South Dublin County Council’s rent rate, which currently stands at 10 per cent, in line with other local authorities across the country.

Cllr Lawlor also said that bringing the rate in line with other local authorities would deter people from going on the council’s list so that they could pay a lower rate – a viewpoint that did not sit well with some of his fellow councillors.

The Fine Gael councillor’s calculations on what the increase would cost local authority tenants also came under fire, when it emerged that his figures were coming in short.

Doing the maths, Independent councillor Dermot Looney said that Fine Gael was proposing a 60 per cent increase on council tenant rents, which would see a council tenant on €21,000 accessible income per annum faced with a rent hike of more than €1,300 a year.

While Renua councillor Ronan McMahon believed that councillors were missing the point of the motion, which he believed sought to equalise the rent rates around the country, People Before Profit councillor Nicky Coules said that it was simply “an attack on the poorest people” in the county.

After an amendment to the motion from councillor Lawlor’s party colleague Vicki Casserly, which proposed earmarking the money raised for further housing crisis initiatives, was voted down, Cllr Lawlor attempted to withdraw his motion.

His withdrawal did not receive enough support from councillors, with the motion going forward for a roll call vote.

The motion was defeated, with Fine Gael councillors, including Cllr Lawlor, abstaining from the final vote.