How would you help get more housing built in the city – especially social and affordable housing?
The state need to restart a proper housebuilding program on state lands through funding a state-owned building company. Public lands should not be sold or gifted to private developers and such developers who hoard land-banks should be either forced to build or relinquish their land-banks to the state or through compulsory purchase.
How would you help improve conditions in existing housing, both social and privately rented?
All rented accommodation needs to be of a proper and high standard, whether council owned or private. A system of inspection of HAP rented accommodation should be initiated as I have received several complaints of poor maintenance in such properties. Council properties need to be inspected regularly irrespective of any reported issues. On receipt of a reported issue, an inspector or maintenance person should visit the property in a timely manner.
What would you do to help make the city feel less dirty, tackling the rubbish and dog poo all over the streets?
Road sweepers (man with brush and barrow) are now non-existent but should be reintroduced for the suburbs in order to access and clean areas inaccessible to the bigger driven vehicles. Fallen leaves are a problem every year as they are left in roadways only to be washed down shores and cause blockages.
What would you do to help tackle vacancy and dereliction?
An inventory of state-owned vacant properties is of upmost importance, no DCC property should remain boarded up or unoccupied for prolonged periods.
Likewise; for privately owned but derelict properties, either a compulsory purchase order or an order to refurbish within a short timeframe should be initiated.
What needs to be done to make the city feel safer?
It is too easy and simplistic to say more police on the beat, while this is certainly a part of an overall solution it is not the be-all and end-all of it. Shared/community space is important, whether in the city ctr or the suburbs. The refurbished “Diamond” area of Gardiner Street is a perfect example. Projects like this need to be replicated in most areas.
What needs to be done to improve public transport in the city?
Make public transport free or a nominal cost would be a good place to start. Also, a permanent dedicated transport police in DART, LUAS and METRO LINK would go a long way in avoiding a lot of issues on these forms of public transport. Likewise, a system of policing buses needs to be adopted. The public need to be involved in proposed changes to bus routes or stop changes. Little thought is ever given to those with disabilities, whether hidden or visible, to such changes. Those with sensory issues often react adversely when a bus stop or route is changed.
What should be done to make it nicer and safer for people to get around the city on foot and by bike?
Policing is obviously an issue and dealt with in some way earlier. Education in road etiquette for all who use the roads is necessary, whether it be motorists or cyclists.
For those on foot, less clutter on the pathways is necessary, many paths have a maze of lamp posts, bins, bollards and other obstacles strewn around making it an ordeal for many to safely circumnavigate the streets safely, this goes double for many with disabilities.
What would you do to help counter the rise of the far right, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ hate, and anti-asylum-seeker arsons?
The state is well aware of many of the instigators and agitators behind a lot of the hate crimes that are directed against asylum seekers and the accommodations that are ear-marked for them. If these agitators and instigators were surveilled in the same way gangland criminals or Republicans were/are I feel their ability to ply their right-wing agenda would greatly diminish. These same cohort or individuals also push the “traditional family value” and view LGBTQ+ as an abomination.,