Plans for special resolution to suspend council rent increases

Several South Dublin Councillors have announced plans to bring a special resolution to the Chief Executive to suspend the planned Council rent increases.

This coming July will see South Dublin County Council management begin to increase council rents for over 20,000 households in the areas.

Rents will increase from 10 per cent of household income plus €3 currently, to 12.5 per cent of incomes, resulting in a 25 per cent increase in rent for many households and some seeing an increase of over 50 per cent.

In February, Councillors passed a motion to consult with council tenants and organisations with expertise in tackling poverty and inequality.

This motion was ignored by the Chief Executive which has led to further action from a group of eleven Councillors from Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, People Before Profit, and Independents.

The group of councillors are calling for immediate action to “suspend any changes to the Differential Rent Scheme, residential rent, or the implementation of an alternative scheme in respect of differential rents or method of calculating rent in respect of those in receipt of social housing support.”

Any changes to rents should be completed following the conclusion of a consultation on the differential rent scheme, and not before the approval of the annual budget for 2027, according to the eleven councillors.

Social Democrats Councillor Eoin Ó Broin spoke on the matter, saying,

“SDCC can’t just arbitrarily increase rents without a clear agreed vision and strategy for how houses are to be maintained and energy retrofitted going forward.”

People Before Profit Councillor Jess Spear also shared her opinion on the matter, saying;

“It is completely unacceptable that, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the Council plans to take thousands of euros extra a year in rent from many families. People simply cannot afford to pay this” she said.

Independent Councillor Madeleine Johansson who is also a member of the Housing SPC, shared her concern with the planned rent increases, saying;

“It’s unacceptable that unelected managers in the council can make decisions like increasing rents for council tenants. As a member of the Housing SPC I have opposed these increases from the start and will do whatever I can to stop them.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme