Local Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has said that house prices in Laois are ‘out of control thanks to bad Government policy and decision making’.
Deputy Stanley was speaking after the latest Daft.ie report showed that the avergae house price in Laois is now €248,482.
He said: “The Government’s failure to deliver affordable homes is making the crisis worse following the latest Daft.ie house price report which shows that the average house price of a home in Laois is €248,482.
“That is a whopping year on year increase of 5.4%. The Daft.ie report on house prices shows that the price of an average home continues to rise.
“According to the Daft report, across the State the price of an average one, two or 3 bedroom home show prices up by 5.8%. Meanwhile properties available to buy are down 24%.
“The Government housing plan is clearly not working, unless their plan is actually to starve Laois of affordable housing, keep prices artificially high, keep the younger generation in Laois from owning a home and create a generation of people paying exorbitantly high rents.
“This latest increase in house prices is a direct consequence of bad Government policy.
“The failure to bring in an Emergency rent freeze has meant that first time buyers are competing for the purchase of new homes with investors who can pay higher prices, in the sure knowledge they will get it back through sky high rents.
“Meanwhile the Government’s failure to deliver on their embarrassingly low affordable purchase homes targets is making the crisis worse.”
Deputy Stanley called on the government to change their policy in order to bring ‘the price of new homes down’.
He said: “They must end policies that push up house prices and they must increase and accelerate the delivery of genuinely affordable homes by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, at prices that working people can genuinely afford.
“We in Sinn Féin have consistently put forward proposals and bills to tackle the housing crisis.
“This Government and its previous incarnations have voted down our alternatives time and time again.
“The people of Laois deserve better than what this Government has to offer.”
SEE ALSO – In Pictures: Presentation made as long-serving Laois organist and choir founder retires
