LABOUR councillor Conor Sheehan has criticised the Government this week for consistently failing on housing.
This comes following recently published figures from the Rental Tenancies Board (RTB) showing that rents have risen by 7.5 per cent in Limerick to an average of €1,272 a month in the last year, with the 7.5 per cent increase representing the second highest in the whole country.
“Average rent for new tenancies has increased in every county in Ireland year-on-year, according to recent RTB figures. This comes at the same time CSO figures have shown that over 500,000 of people are living in their parental home, far higher than the European average,” Cllr Sheehan commented.
According to a report by Limerick Chamber, there are now 3,786 adults living with their parents at home in Limerick City North with little hope of ever being able to buy or rent a home of their own.
Cllr Sheehan, a representative for City North, puts this down to extortionate rents and Government-funded Approved Housing Bodies bulk buying houses across the city.
“I am constantly hearing from people on the ground in Limerick about the struggles they are facing with housing. Rents are skyrocketing, and it is making it harder and harder for people to afford a place to live, especially those who are on low incomes.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer. The Government must take urgent action to fund local authorities to direct build their own housing and make housing more affordable for everyone.
“We in Labour have consistently called for an emergency eviction ban. This is a crisis and the government needs to act.”
