éirígí Tir Chonaill

éirígí Claim Social Housing Leasing Scheme is another “bail-out for developers”

02/07/2010

éirígí Tír Chonaill spokesperson Micheál Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig has described the Social Housing Leasing Scheme currently being operated by Donegal County Council and other Councils around the state as another “bail-out for developers”.

Under the scheme introduced by the Fianna Fáil/Green party coalition last year, Councils are entering into lease arrangements with property owners for periods of between 10 – 20 years. Among the benefits the developer will secure is that properties will be tenanted, managed and maintained by the local authority. Rent will be guaranteed for the entire period of the lease and will be an ‘inclusive’ rent to include all rates, charges and taxes that may apply to the leased property. The houses will be provided unfurnished and on ‘repair and insure’ basis where the Local Authority will be responsible for the insurance, maintenance and general repair of the properties.

MacGiolla Easbuig: “There are now in the region of 100,000 families on local authority housing waiting lists throughout this state, well over double the figures from ten years ago. Here in Donegal, there are around 500 families currently in need of housing on Donegal County Council's waiting list.” He added: “While the administration in Leinster House claim that this scheme is to assist these families on waiting lists, it is nothing of the sort. It is yet another scheme by Fianna Fáil to bail-out developers using tax-payers money once again.”

“Having local councils basically paying the mortgages of property developers and maintaining their properties at tax payers expense for between ten or twenty years is a scandalous and unjustifiable move. The developers who built these houses, driven by greed and a belief that they could make themselves rich on the backs of working families by selling the properties at grossly over-inflated prices, have now been left unable to sell them as the economy collapsed.”

“Along with the policies of this government and the bankers, this unbridled greed by developers also contributed greatly to the current economic crisis. Now their Fianna Fáil cronies are rescuing them by means of this long term scheme which sees tax payers pay to protect these developers investments while the developer doesnt have to spend a cent or lift a finger.”

“Fianna Fáil are happy to see families lose their homes and hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs. They are happy to impose savage cuts in income for low paid workers and welfare recipients. They are happy to see our young people emigrate once again and they are more than happy to shut hospitals and reduce and remove essential health services.”

He concluded: “However, when it comes to allowing developers take a loss or go out of business as a result of their greed, thats a step too far. Fianna Fáil insist that they must be protected, just like the banks. That's what this scheme is about. That's Fianna Fáil priorities for you.”