Councillors hit back after Tánaiste says local authorities 'badly failed'
Dublin councillors have taken issue with the Tánaiste's comments that local authorities have “badly failed” on dereliction.
Speaking with media over the weekend, Tánaiste Simon Harris was highly critical of local authorities across the country, who he said “are letting young people down” as dereliction has prospered in the midst of a housing emergency . He said he’s “sat in front of far too many Chief Executives” who “eyeball us and say they’ve done enough” when they haven’t.
“We have given them extra staff, we’ve given them extra funding and they haven’t done enough on dereliction," he said. “How sickening is it if you’re a young person trying to buy a home and you’re living in a neighbourhood or community driving by boarded up buildings, some of which are public buildings.”
Mr Harris said he was “aghast” at widespread inaction and central government has been left with no choice but to “step in” and “take this over” as local authorities have “failed in their job to administer the derelict sites levy”. “They have badly failed with a few notable exceptions,” he said.
These comments were not taken lightly by local authorities, with Tommy Moylan of the Association of Irish Local Government telling RTÉ’s Six One News that they have done a lot to tackle the issue. "I don't accept the premise of the Tánaiste’s remarks over the weekend," he said.
"I think local authorities have done a lot in relation to addressing dereliction, particularly in the last number of years, and in fairness with a lot of supports that have come from central Government. The statistics that have come out from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I think confirm that.
"Over 16,000 applications have been made to access the Vacant Homes Refurbishment Grant over the last three to four years. 4,500 properties have been brought back into use under that grant scheme, 3,000 of those in 2025 itself."
While Mr Harris conceded that “some local authorities are doing a very good job” he described other’s efforts as “appalling”. He criticised an “inconsistent approach” and said he will not “tolerate an à la carte approach to Government policy on dereliction”.
“In 2024, in the full year, 11 local authorities collected zero euro and zero cent. Now, there aren’t 11 local authorities in the country that don’t have dereliction issues,” Mr Harris said.
Speaking with David McCullagh, Green Party Councillor with Dublin City Council Janet Horner said “the government is merely shifting the blame for the lack of action onto the local authorities”. She stressed a need to actually address “what the real clear failings are”.
She criticised the current government stance on dereliction as insufficient to properly tackle the problem, as the derelict sites criteria only defines “the building as it presents to the front of the street”. Cllr Horner cited many underused buildings “just 100 metres off O’Connell Street” with smashed windows that could be “converted into housing or productive use”.
“If this is to be more than a rhetorical exercise - and I really want it to be, because I really want to see action on this because it’s so damaging to our city spaces - we need to see that definition taken on that recognises the back of properties, outside spaces, and not just the front of the building itself,” Cllr Horner said.
“Above the shop on Marlborough Street, you’ll see buildings that have ground floors in use and are actually missing the roof. That is not good enough, and it’s a street right bang in the middle of a city."
Social Democrats Cllr for Howth-Malahide Joan Hopkins took to social media to voice her concern about Mr Harris’s comments and mocked his ability to recognise the housing crisis while also wanting “to make sure you know it’s not his fault”. She said he wants to blame local authorities like Fingal County Council despite them being “fully funded by central government”. “He’s 100% right that there is a housing crisis, but it is 100% the fault of central government,” she said.
Mr Harris has faced backlash for his comments, which comes alongside plans to introduce a new Derelict Property Tax in 107 cities and towns across Ireland. As reported by RTÉ, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said the government is now using the “stick” to address dereliction after it has previously used the “carrot” of grants to try and renovate properties.
He said their new approach will make sure there is an acceleration in the number of derelict sites being re-developed and allow people to “realise their ambition of home ownership”. The new derelict sites tax is payable by owners of derelict sites and will be collected by Revenue rather than local authorities.
The current levy is charged at 7% of a property’s market value and continues to apply until the site is no longer deemed derelict. Unpaid levies attract interest of 1.25% per month. The new tax rate will not be lower than the current figure.
Recent figures show that more than €10 million is owed to Dublin City Council in outstanding derelict site levies, with €9m of this dating back more than two years. Across the country, local authorities have left more than €32m in derelict-site levies uncollected.
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