Sligo councillor calls for referendum to ensure right to housing be enshrined in constitution

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Cllr Declan Bree has called for a referendum to be held in order to constitutionally enshrine the right to housing saying the “Public housing supply is totally inadequate.”

Cllr Bree was speaking to his motion at the April meeting of Sligo County Council where he stated, “All of us are aware that secure and genuinely affordable housing is slipping further out of reach for working people across Ireland. As Councillors, we see it every day, with families waiting years for a home, young people forced to leave their communities, and a public housing supply that is totally inadequate.

“Today there are in excess of 1,600 households on this Council’s housing waiting list. In the face of such a crisis, continuing with the same approach is not an option. A new direction is needed.”

Cllr Bree’s motion called for Sligo Council to, “Express its disappointment that no date has been set to hold a referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution, and further the Council calls on the government to hold a referendum on the issue without further delay.”

“Across the world, 81 countries have recognised this by enshrining the right to housing in their constitutions. Within the European Union, countries such as Belgium, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal have taken this step. They have acknowledged something fundamental: that a home is not a luxury, it is a basic human right. Here in Ireland, the last Government committed to holding a referendum on the right to housing. That promise was not delivered. And in the meantime, the crisis has deepened.”

Speaking about the impact of the housing crisis Cllr Bree stressed, “Everyone in this chamber knows the human impact. The housing crisis is not an abstract issue, it is causing real distress, anxiety and despair for people in Sligo and in communities across the country. It is affecting workers, families, students, and older people alike.”

Cllr Bree was critical of the Government in relation to their housing policy but insisted universally accessible public housing and affordable homes would offer a viable solution to the current situation.

“The reason we have a housing crisis is that successive governments have relied on the market to deliver housing - handing responsibility to private developers, speculators and large investor funds. The results are plain to see.

“A home or shelter is one of the most basic necessities for sustaining life. It should never be treated as a commodity to be exploited, whether to drive up prices, extract public subsidies, or maximise profits at the expense of ordinary people. Government policy is the cause of the housing crisis. Rising homelessness, ever-growing waiting lists, and unaffordable rents are not accidents, they are the consequences.

“But as I have pointed out before, there is an alternative. Universally accessible public housing and affordable homes can provide a lasting solution and can ensure that everyone has a secure place to live, and finally bring this crisis to an end.

That is why a constitutional referendum matters. Enshrining the right to housing would place a clear obligation on the State, not the market, to ensure that everyone has access to a home. It would mark a turning point: a commitment that housing is a right, not a privilege.”

The motion was seconded by Cllr Gino O’Boyle.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.