MORE than 100 people attended a public meeting organised by the ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign in Limerick last Monday when plans for a protest at the annual meeting of Limerick City and County Council were discussed.
Chaired by SIPTU Organiser, Rachel Keane, the meeting was addressed by Dr Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer at the Technological University Dublin; Eoin O’Broin, Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing; and Anna Blair of Community Action Tenants Union (CATU).
Speakers provided a detailed summary of the escalating housing crisis nationally as well as in Limerick, where the shortage of affordable and social homes, high rents and lack of student accommodation were among the issues raised.
Plans were discussed for a protest at the annual meetings of Limerick City and County Council over the failure of the local authorities to deal with the housing and homeless crisis.
It is hoped to get a motion on to the agenda of the following meeting of the Council, tabled by councillors who support the Raise the Roof coalition.
Limerick ‘Raise the Roof’ organiser Cian Prendiville emphasised that the rally was “just the beginning” of the campaign.
“We need to build a mass movement for a change in housing policy in this country. For too long housing policy has been dictated by landlords and cuckoo funds, the result is rents are though the roof, and first time buyers are priced out.”
