'Like a bunch of idiots, politicians and civil servants created a mess that was going to haunt us'
'We went from building thousands of new council homes every year to zero'
A couple of years ago I warned that we needed to start building thousands of new council homes every year if we wanted to solve the housing crisis. We had a duty as a nation to provide affordable housing for low income families or the whole fabric of our society would disintegrate.
There was nothing new in this. It was not a big idea. We did it in the thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and the eighties when as a country we hadn't a penny to be frank. How do you think places like Cabra, Finglas, Artane, Coolock in Dublin were built? Nevermind Pearse Park, Yellowbatter, and Ballsgrove in Drogheda. The list of council estates is endless in every town right across the island.
No matter what they earned, my parents and their parents had somewhere to live. Big families were reared in two or three bedroom council houses, you got your degree in life on the street, and the council rentman called to the house to collect his dues every week.
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The rent was always low and families could afford it. The bottom line was some people didn't have great jobs but at least they had a roof over their head. They weren't going to be evicted or homeless in their lifetime. There were plenty of private houses too for those who could afford it. The vast majority were working class people originally from council estates who had saved the 10pc deposit and as the fella said we're moving up in the world.
There was no rivalry, no snobbery, it was just the way it was. The vast majority in the country lived in 3 bedroom semis as they were known, there were very few big houses except those owned by farmers around the countryside. But then came the Celtic Tiger in the late nineties and the noughties and things went pear shaped.
Governments decided to start selling council homes to the tenants at reduced price - a huge mistake and overnight we lost most of Ireland's council housing stock. It was a great vote winner with those buying their own home but a serious own goal for the taxpayer.
But then we decided to stop building council houses altogether and to get the private developers to ensure that 10pc of each new development built was to be given to people on the council housing lists. This was to be called social housing and the council would pay for these new homes.
The move meant that all our councils could get rid of their existing housing departments from architects to tradesmen because they had very little housing stock to look after. Firms that used to rely on building council houses for their business got no more contracts and many went out of business.
Like a bunch of idiots, the politicians and the civil servants between them created a mess that was going to haunt this country for at least three decades if not longer. So effectively we went from building thousands of new council homes every year to zero.
Over 30,000 new houses or apartments were built in Ireland in 2024 and just a third in social housing , 11,939 units were delivered. It also built 4,011 affordable houses - less than a thousand short of its target.
The Government has a target of 9,300 new social homes for 2024 but only 158 were delivered in the first quarter of the year. The Housing Minister Darragh O' Brien said most of these homes are traditionally delivered in the third or fourth quarter of the year. He also hopes to provide 6,000 affordable homes.
The Government's Housing for all programme is slowly starting to make inroads. People at long last are coming off the housing list. However thousands of people on low incomes are still being screwed by high rents while they wait for a social home. It is causing great anger, resentment and frustration.
And then there is a whole generation in their twenties living at home with their parents because they can't afford to move out to either rent or buy. Fine Gael has been in office for the last 14 years and has failed dismally to deal with the housing situation.
A Fianna Fail minister Darragh O'Brien has made progress but it is not fast enough. To be fair to Mr O'Brien there is no easy fix and he has got stuck in. There is absolutely no doubt that housing will be the number one issue in the General Election in a few weeks time and rightly so.
The least every citizen deserves is to have a roof over their head irrespective of what income they earn. Yesterday Sinn Fein may have saved their election bacon by publishing the most impressive housing plan the country has seen for years. They are thinking big and going for it, not before time.
Their proposed 39 billion national housing plan called A Home Of Your Own, is long overdue and promises to build 300,000 housing units over the next five years. The plan will include affordable homes from 250,000 euros and the freezing of rents for all existing and new tenancies over three years - a move that is also long overdue.
They also pledge to provide 125,000 social and affordable units which would be a gamechanger once the state decides to keep all the new housing stock.
We need a clear, precise national plan and Sinn Fein sounds like they have one. But will it be enough to restore their electoral fortunes and get them into government time will only tell. Eoin O'Broin of Sinn Fein is a smart guy and I would love to see him as housing minister.
For too long our Government has been paying far too much attention to the vested and greedy interests of the construction and financial sectors when it comes to infrastructure projects. The only people they need to listen to are the people and to build more housing at a 100 mile an hour. You either deliver or get kicked out of office.
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