LIMERICK Labour councillor Conor Sheehan has condemned what he deems the government’s failure to address skyrocketing house prices following the publication of a Daft.ie report which shows that house prices have increased by 9.7 per cent in Limerick in the last year.
According to the Daft.ie report, house prices between June and September surged at their fastest pace since 2017, something Cllr Sheehan describes as yet another blow to those struggling to find affordable housing.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have consistently prioritised private developers and landowners over the wellbeing of the nation. We are witnessing the grim reality of an entire generation being locked out of the housing market,” Cllr Sheehan declared.
“On the ground in Limerick, I hear it day after day — housing, housing, affordable housing. The need is undeniable, and yet this government’s ‘Housing for All’ plan has utterly failed.
“Homelessness is up, evictions are up, and house prices are higher than ever. How much longer will Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil stand by while Ireland’s working families suffer under this broken system?”
Cllr Sheehan considers the report further proof that the government’s housing policies have made matters worse, stating that “housing price inflation is now at record-breaking levels, with rents and homelessness following the same disturbing trend”.
“It is devastating to hear that there are now 4,419 children living in emergency accommodation. This is not just a statistic, these are children without a place to call home. Nowhere is this government’s catastrophic failure more evident than in housing.”
The general election hopeful says that “politics is about choices. Under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, the choices they have made are making Ireland a more unequal place. In 2024, we see a country of winners and losers, and for most working people, they are on the losing side.”
Cllr Sheehan says that the Labour Party has called “for at least 50,000 homes to be built each year—well above the government’s targets, which remain woefully inadequate. We also propose that half of the Apple windfall be invested directly into housing.”
