'Colossal' rent increases a 'damning indictment' of government policy - Clarke

The news that rents in Westmeath have increased by 62 per cent since before the pandemic “is a damning indictment of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party's abject failure to address the housing crisis”.

Responding to the latest Daft.ie rental report which found that the average rent is Westmeath is now €1,655, an increase of more than 60 per cent in the past four years, Deputy Clarke said the “colossal” increases were “a direct result of the government’s refusal to adopt Sinn Féin proposals over those past four years, and that households are now paying the price of that failure”.

Deputy Clarke added that “the only way to start fixing the housing crisis is with a change of government, Eoin Ó Broin Minister for Housing and the implementation of Sinn Féin's alternative housing plan”.

“The latest Daft.ie rental report is yet another damning indictment of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party’s abject failure to address the housing crisis.

“This report, when compared to figures when this government came into office four years ago, shows that average new yearly rents in Westmeath have increased by 62 per cent over the lifetime of the government, and have increased by 12.1 per cent in the last year alone. That is unforgivable.

“This didn’t have to happen. Sinn Féin has long argued for a ban on rent increases for three years and to take the pressure off renters by putting one month’s rent back into every private renter's pocket.

“The government has failed to grasp the severity of the crisis, and refused to take on board Sinn Féin’s proposals. Households are now paying the price for that failure, and the result is housing and homeless crises spiralling out of control.

“Week after week, month after month we are presented with report after report highlighting the government’s failures in housing.”