Affordable Housing is a huge issue and hopefully a bigger team of Sinn Féin councillors returned to Dublin City Council will carry on the hard work our SF Councillors have been doing on the Council to tackle the housing crisis too. We'd work to deliver affordable purchase homes through the Council and Approved Housing Bodies at prices people can genuinely afford. Local councils and Approved Housing Bodies will deliver the new affordable homes in Sinn Féin’s government plan, on public owned land.

The housing crisis has caused misery for countless people across Dublin Bay North, many people feel trapped paying rip off rents preventing the ability to save up for a deposit to buy their own home. Others are still living at home with their parents and family, unable to afford to move  long after they want to have their own independence. Others feel forced to emigrate because they can’t picture a future here in Ireland. My own son is in this boat where he can see no option but to emigrate because of the disgraceful cost of buying a home here.

Everyone should have the right to a secure and affordable home. A change of government is needed to unravel and reverse decades of bad housing policy. 

Hopefully after the next General Election a Sinn Féin government would take a different approach to Fianna Fáil /Fine Gael and their coalition support. We set out in our 2024 Alternative Budget that a Sinn Féin government would deliver greater investment, increase targets to match demand, cut out red tape which is resulting in delays of up to 2 years before a brick is laid, use new technology to build, speed up planning and introduce changes to tax code to incentivise building of affordable homes.

I am constantly working with residents in my area who have maintenance problems with their homes, there is a major issue with the general upkeep of properties and since the time I was working as a Councillor from 2016 to 2019 today I have only seen things have gotten worse for tenants in this regard. This has to change.

Sinn Féin has proposed significant increases in Government funding for Councils to maintain, refurbish and retrofit Council homes. This includes a specific fund for local authorities to respond proactively to maintenance issues including windows and doors, damp, mould and leaks. Too often, a small leak becomes a huge problem because it is left for too long. We would work towards every local authority producing a preventative maintenance plan. We would also introduce a regeneration scheme for apartments and flats that are past their lifespan.

People should not have to live in damp, mouldy or unmaintained homes. We would prioritise those homes in greatest need of repair and reduce waiting lists for basic maintenance. 

Privatisation of our refuse collection and the scaling down of public cleansing services has made the situation much worse in our Beautiful City and Suburbs.However, much can be done to ensure we have a clean environment, including clean streets. The bin services and recycling centres should be brought back into public ownership, as well as public waste services.Other measures I would support include reversing the decrease in the amount of public Litter Bins including additional dog litter bins at crucial locations for dog owners, more street cleaning teams, more signage and public awareness campaigns in relation to dog litter and illegal dumping.

There are far too many vacant and derelict properties in our capital city, including in Dublin Bay North. Many of these homes are lying idle for years. There should be no vacant properties left to rot while we have a spiralling housing crisis- properties that could be transformed into homes for our families and young generations.

Sinn Féin would encourage local authorities to Compulsory Purchase, where practical, and return to use derelict properties alongside increased utilisation of the Buy and Renew scheme. We would also request monthly updates to increase the collection of the Derelict Sites Levy and to speed up the return of vacant social homes.

Everyone and our communities deserve to feel safe and protected. But too many people in our capital city feel unsafe. Sinn Féin have outlined our proposals to invest in the Gardaí, so we can have more Gardaí on our streets protecting communities. We would introduce a public transport policing unit to ensure people can feel safe while using public transport. We would get to grips with the recruitment and retention crisis in the Gardaí to end the huge numbers resigning.

The part privatisation of our Public Transport is detrimental to our transport network, we need to keep our transport in public ownership which will ensure it is made to measure for Dublin and it`s Citizens while also being affordable , reliable ,sustainable and practical , like many of the successful public transport systems in other Cities around Europe.

Road safety and accessible transport are at the heart of ensuring people can live, work and play safely in their communities. 2023 saw the highest number of deaths on our roads in almost a decade. Dublin ranked worst, in public transport, of 30 European Cities in 2023. It’s time for change.

We recognise that many children cannot safely access school without relying on a lift from parents. This can be a barrier to parents but it also reduces young people’s independence. In government we would increase funding to make getting to school safe.

Road safety and accessible transport are at the heart of ensuring people can live, work and play safely in their communities. 2023 saw the highest number of deaths on our roads in almost a decade. Dublin ranked worst, in public transport, of 30 European Cities in 2023. It’s time for change.

We recognise that many children cannot safely access school without relying on a lift from parents. This can be a barrier to parents but it also reduces young people’s independence. In government we would increase funding to make getting to school safe.

Ensuring more active travel, such as cycling and walking, will be a key way to tackle the climate crisis. In order to ensure this is realistic, people must feel confident that they can do so safely.

We support auditing all footpaths and putting in place a programme of footpath restoration so everyone can walk and move around their local area confidently.

People in Dublin Bay North have a lot of genuine concerns and we have encountered them all, we have listened and taken note during this election campaign while knocking on their doors, Sinn Fèin will be addressing these concerns when we become the biggest group on the next Dublin City Council.

On the Council I will be a voice for a fair, equal and diverse society. Everyone just wants to get on with their lives and all sections of our communities must be able to feel safe and included. Arson attacks on accommodation for asylum seekers have no place in our society and I condemn these attacks.