Anger over absence of affordable housing for Tipperary in Government targets

Tipperary Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne has criticised the Government’s failure to include the county in its affordable housing targets.

“Tipperary’s exclusion from the Government’s affordable housing targets up to 2026 show that the Government is not serious about tackling the affordable housing crisis,” he said.

He was responding to a reply to a Parliamentary Question on the issue.

Deputy Browne said that when it came to housing, many families across Tipperary were facing a real crisis.

The revelation that only 18 counties were included in the affordable housing targets up to 2026 was just one more facet of the crisis engulfing society, he said.

“Affordability and availability are two key issues, and this applies to both the purchase and rental markets.

“The overall housing situation has become so bad that more and more people are finding themselves in a situation in which they need emergency accommodation - which is also in short supply,” said Deputy Browne.

He said that the latest revelations about affordable housing targets up to 2026 was indicative of the overall approach to housing that falls far short of addressing the housing needs of people in Tipperary and nationwide.

In its response to the PQ, the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that the five-year 2022-2026 total target for local authority affordable delivery had been allocated to 18 local authority areas, where the need for affordable housing is determined as being a sufficiently significant proportion of overall housing need.

In addition, affordable purchase and cost rental homes will also be made available by Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency in these local authority areas.