How would you help get more housing built in the city – especially social and affordable housing?
I would advocate that the city council uses its powers for Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) for long term vacant buildings in the city. There are too many buildings lying derelict for 10+ years in the city, that could be easily brought into use, especially for affordable housing.
I also want to ensure that I am voting for developments that will include a good level of social and affordable housing, and get them built. There are too many on Dublin City Council (DCC) who will talk the talk, but when it comes down to it, vote against building social and affordable homes.
How would you help improve conditions in existing housing, both social and privately rented?
I would extend the eviction ban until sensible rental rights are enacted. Right now, the thresholds for evicting a good, hard working and loyal tenant is very low. People are often forced to uproot their whole lives at short notice without any good reason. We want to remove so called ‘no fault’ evictions as well as removing the grounds which allows a landlord to end a tenancy on the basis that they intend to sell the property within three months.
To tackle the affordability crisis, I am calling for the introduction of a register of rental properties so that prospective tenants can see exactly what other tenants have paid in rent in the past. I also want to see an eviction ban until the above is introduced in full.
What would you do to help make the city feel less dirty, tackling the rubbish and dog poo all over the streets?
More bins and Litter wardens. There are plenty of parks and public spaces that you won’t find a bin to dispose of your rubbish properly. But we need a sensible property tax system to do this. Many current councillors on DCC who will ask for more bins or workers, but then vote to slash the main revenue generator for the city. We can’t have it both ways.
What would you do to help tackle vacancy and dereliction?
I want a proper register of vacant and derelict properties that can be fed into by the public, as many in the city know where is vacant in their own neighbourhoods / estates, but DCC are overwhelmed and can be slow to react. Once we have the addresses they can be inspected and if necessary, CPOs can be utilised to bring these buildings into use especially for social and affordable housing.
What needs to be done to make the city feel safer?
Community policing. More Gardaí on the street alone isn’t an answer, we need to feel safe with our Gardaí as well, so that they are known to us day to day. The updating of street lights needs to be accelerated. The new LED bulbs are not just more environmentally friendly, but studies have shown that they lead to a decrease in anti social behaviour vs the old, orange lights.
What needs to be done to improve public transport in the city?
Obviously Metro North needs to start, and we need to elect councillors who will focus on its completion and do what they can to get it through. This is not just about the areas it will / will not go through, but it will help take pressures off other services, leading to a more efficient and comfortable service, that people will want to use.
The extension of the Dart needs to coincide with ensuring longer carriages are counted for. Rush hour commutes can almost be dangerous with the heat in the morning by the time the southbound trains reach Clongriffin.
I would also like to see a taskforce established with all stakeholders involved to make sure all stations are accessible not only in name but in actual use. Too often lifts are broken rendering the station useless to those who have mobility issues.
What should be done to make it nicer and safer for people to get around the city on foot and by bike?
Clearer markings for cycle lanes, would be useful. I feel there are too many joint cycle and bus lanes which just lead to chaos for both bicycles and busses. Even just a different colour on the left side of the road to highlight the cycle lane would be a start.
We also need to invest and set up a specific fund to fix broken footpaths. There are too many damaged paths in the city which are trip hazards, especially to our older citizens and those with mobility / accessibility issues.
What would you do to help counter the rise of the far right, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ hate, and anti-asylum-seeker arsons?
We can’t platform those that seek hate. End of. Hatred and lies cannot be debated against or tolerated. I believe that so many arsons and hate crime style events are happening because a vacuum has been created by the department, which allows hatred to fill the gap. Community engagement is the only way we will defeat hatred.
We can’t have a situation where only elected officials get word of something and community leaders are left in the dark. Elected representatives and community leaders need to be engaged with at the same time, so that a vacuum isn’t created, and hate can’t grow.