Richard Boyd Barrett confronts councillors over social and affordable housing
Richard Boyd Barrett criticised conduct at a local area plan debate in Old Conor and demanded prioritisation of social and affordable housing. He condemned councillors who 'laughed' at a proposal for all social and affordable homes on public land and attacked cuts to developer levies as a handout to developers.
Local area plan dispute
He described a local area plan discussion in Old Conor, on the border of Dunleary down to Wicklow, where councillors Melisa Halpin and Dave O'Keefe proposed a condition that housing on public land should be all social and affordable. He said other councillors laughed at that proposal and later voted to cut developer levies, which he characterised as a handout to developers.
Critique of councillors and departmental aims
He challenged how those actions fit with the department's mission statement about ensuring a sustainable economy and a successful society, arguing neither is possible without addressing the lack of social and affordable housing. He said councillors had 'scoffed' at proposals to prioritise social housing and pressed the inconsistency with stated policy goals.
Developer levies and supply debate
He criticised the cuts to developer levies as undermining affordable housing objectives. In response, another speaker, Ishaq, argued that supply must rise and warned some policies would depress supply - saying the goal should be to increase output to "50 or 60 thousand per annum" and to mobilise both private sector and public sector investment.
Calls for social and affordable housing on public land
Richard Boyd Barrett called for social and affordable homes to be prioritised on public land and urged a policy approach that does not rely solely on private development. The exchange highlights a clash between demands for social housing, financial incentives for developers, and differing views on how to expand housing supply.
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Ishaq, the mission statement for your department in the report says it's about ensuring a sustainable economy and a successful society. Now, neither of those things are possible unless we address the lack of social and affordable housing and the housing crisis that's faced in this country. Recently, in my area, an area called Old Conor, which is on the border of Dunleary, down to Wicklow, there was a local area plan discussion about building social and affordable housing. Our councillors, Melisa Halpin and Dave O'Keefe, proposed that we should have a condition that all the housing, much of a public land by the way, should be all social and affordable because we don't need more unaffordable housing. Your councillors laughed at that, laughed at that, scoffed at it and then proposed and voted through plans to cut the developer levies, in other words to give a handout to the developers. How is that compatible with the aspirations of your department? Deputy Boyd Barrett, yes we do need a sustainable society, we need both social and affordable housing. I don't believe our councillors scoff at anything to do with housing, they take it very seriously and they want more housing, they want more affordable, they want more social and to enable people to be able to buy or rent at affordable prices. We need to get supply up. And I think some of your policies would depress supply. That's where we differ. We need to get supply to 50 or 60 thousand per annum. I think a lot of what you have articulated over the years I think would depress supply. It's not possible to do it all through social. And also we need private sector investment, as well as public sector investment, of a huge scale. that in the framework for you. So we need to get supply. And let's review. Thank you. So we have a good advice and help the group. Thank you. Thank you, David. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. Thank you.
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