Paul Murphy proposes universal social housing bill
Paul Murphy presented a bill to make social housing universally available and criticised Government housing policy. He argued the measure would reverse cuts to social housing provision and oppose moves to merge social housing with cost rental.
Bill proposal and main aim
Paul Murphy said the bill would make social housing universally available to all, replacing the current income-based eligibility model. He described the proposal as simple and aimed at allowing people to pay a percentage of their income for decent quality accommodation.
Critique of Government policy
He accused the Government of copying Maggie Thatcher by cutting the building of social housing and shrinking the pool of eligible applicants. He said Government refusal to increase income limits in line with average wages has restricted access to only the poorest households and those on social welfare.
Impact on households and councils
Murphy warned the current approach concentrates deprivation in social housing and contributes to a financial crisis for councils, which then justify raising rents. He cited planned rent increases in Dublin City Council and moves in South Dublin County Council, and said HAP tenants are being hit twice when top-ups are required for private landlords.
Policy direction and proposed alternative
He criticised the Government strategy to merge council housing with cost rental over time as the wrong direction. He argued instead for universal access to social housing, where tenants pay what they can afford as a percentage of income and councils provide decent accommodation.
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Thanks. Our bill is very simple. It would make social housing universally available to all. It is the opposite of what the Government has been doing. The Government has effectively been copying for decades Maggie Thatcher in terms of cutting the amount of building of social housing and then ensuring that they shrink the pool of people who are eligible to apply for it. They have done that by refusing to increase the income limits in line with average wages. The result is only the poorest, lowest paid households, those households who are on social welfare are eligible. It concentrates deprivation in social housing, it leads to social issues and it contributes to a financial crisis for councils when they say we're not raising enough true rents to cover maintenance. Universal social housing would mean higher paid workers paying higher rents easily covering maintenance. Instead this is being used as a reason to hike up rents in Dublin City Council. They are going to try and do it in South Dublin County Council. It is happening across the country because it has been pushed for by the Government. So attacking some of the most deprived communities, making them pay more, for HAP tenants making them hit them twice because they are going to pay more and top up to a private landlord because of Government policy and more to the Council tenants. But it is all linked to a strategy of effectively getting rid of this model of differential income based rents. If you read the Government's strategy, it is about merging council housing, merging social housing with cost rental over time. That is the opposite direction we need to go. Actually we need universal access to social housing. The idea that people pay what they can afford to pay, they pay a percentage of their income and they get decent quality accommodation. That shouldn't be too much to ask. idea because of businesses could be too much that they can afford. Enter the
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