Galway by-election candidate wants ‘landlords to leave the market’ as part of radical housing proposals
People Before Profit candidate Denman Rooke has said a state-owned construction company and open-income social housing are key tools to address Galway’s housing crisis but argued such measures will not be implemented under the current Government.
At a meeting in the Ballybane Community Resource Centre on May 13, Mr Rooke focused on what he described as failures by both local authorities and Government in supporting renters and homeowners.
A member of one of 14 recently evicted families from the Cúirt Éigis apartments on Ballybane Road had been due to attend but was unable to do so due to childcare issues.
Social and affordable housing remain the main mechanisms through which Galway City and County Council deliver new homes. Each month brings further planning permissions and Part 8 approvals for housing developments intended to meet this demand.
However, a central element of Mr Rooke’s campaign is a shift towards state-owned construction companies taking responsibility for delivery and reducing the unaffordable cost of these affordable homes.
He argued that removing developer and land costs could potentially halve the price of homes for purchase, though he does not believe this is achievable under the current Government.
“I wouldn't as much trust the state can start a company under Fianna Fail,” Mr Rooke said to the half a dozen people engaged at the meeting.
The local authority calculates the price of affordable housing based on purchaser capacity as well as market value. In Galway, average affordable homes are currently priced in the mid-€300,000 range.
CSO data from 2024 puts the average salary in Co Galway at nearly €44,000. The Central Bank of Ireland’s loan-to-income limit allows borrowing of up to four times income, meaning the average earner can afford a €176,000 home.
“I think it's crazy that we define affordability compared to the market. Affordability should be tied to the average industrial wage, not the market speculation,” Mr Rooke said.
“A part of the problem is that these huge companies have been sitting on property, derelict land and property, because they know its value is going up every year.”
Asked how prices would be reduced without a state construction company, Mr Rooke said greater pressure on landlords to exit the market could drive down costs.
“Essentially, I want landlords to leave the market. If all these landlords who are hoarding up property try to sell because we're making it less incentivized for them to make profits off housing,” he said, “then there's going to be a flood of the market, so house prices should fall.”
“We're essentially renting everything to the private market.”
Mr Rooke also argued that social housing should be open to all income levels, including those above traditional eligibility thresholds.
“It would do two things. It would start to remove the stigma around social housing and poverty. And it would also start to make more fiscal sense.”
“When you have rents at a percentage of income, then you have middle income and high-income earners who are availing of social housing at their choice. Now we have some of the income earners that are making it more profitable, instead of a net negative, as far as what we're funding.”
He cited Vienna’s social housing model, where a significant proportion of residents live in publicly provided housing.
“They've essentially eliminated the private rental sector. They didn't ban it. They just invested in a public one that meant the private profiteering didn't make any sense anymore. I think that's the way I'd love to see our rent market move,” he added.
A successful bid for a TD seat would place him in opposition to an established political landscape which includes Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, parties which introduced renter reforms that he claims allowed rent increases of up to 25.7pc in Galway.
He acknowledged that a by-election victory would not change Government composition.
“The reality is, with a by-election, the government isn't going to change. What I would see my position is to be essentially a thorn in the side of the government for the rest of, what is hopefully, a short time. Then it's building towards the next general election.”
“I think the only government that would actually deliver something like this would be a left government, which is why we've been campaigning so hard on the vote left, transfer left strategy to try to retain this as a left seat.”
“We would be making the case that the more People Before Profit TDs that can get elected in the next general election, the more pressure there is to then call for a left government, because we're one of the only parties that have essentially ruled out coalition with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.”
The Galway West by-election is slated for Friday, May 22 with 17 candidates seeking to take the seat previously held by President Catherine Connolly.