Derelict property tax must change behaviour, not raise cash, says Wicklow councillor

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

Fine Gael councillor Louise Fenelon Gaskin has backed Tánaiste Simon Harris’s call for tougher and more consistent action on derelict and vacant properties, stressing that new taxes should be seen as behavioural cues rather than revenue streams.

Her comments come amid growing national debate over the scale of unused buildings across towns and cities, and the extent to which local authorities have used the powers already available to them.

The Tánaiste’s decision to publicly criticise local authorities marked a significant escalation, with Mr Harris saying that “too many councils have failed to use the powers they already have”.

Speaking after the Tánaiste criticised what he described as “patchy and often ineffective” enforcement of derelict site laws, Cllr Fenelon Gaskin said she believes local authorities must treat dereliction as a priority if the State is to make meaningful progress on housing supply.

“We have derelict and vacant buildings right across our area that could be homes,” she said. “The powers to act already exist – grants, the derelict sites levy, and CPOs. What we need now is the will to use them consistently.

“Every derelict building brought back into use is a home for a family and a boost for our town centre. We cannot afford to let buildings sit idle for years while people struggle to find somewhere to live.”

Central to her argument is the belief that the forthcoming derelict property tax, which Deputy Harris has said will be collected by Revenue rather than local authorities, should not be seen as a revenue‑raising measure.

“The most important thing to understand about the new tax the Tánaiste will bring in is that its real value isn’t the money it raises, it’s the behaviour it changes,” she said. “The goal was never to collect money. The goal is to make sitting on a derelict building the more expensive option, so that the owner is pushed to either renovate it, sell it, or hand it to someone who will.”

She argued that the effectiveness of any levy or tax depends entirely on whether owners believe it will be enforced.

“That’s exactly why it has to be applied consistently,” she said. “A levy that owners know will never really be enforced changes nothing. One that is applied without fail changes everything, because it shifts the incentive.”

The Greystones representative said she intends to push for a more assertive approach within Wicklow County Council, urging officials to treat dereliction measures as tools for change rather than administrative burdens.

“I want to see the council use every power available to it,” she said.

Cllr Fenlon Gaskin acknowledged that enforcement can be challenging, but said the consequences of inaction are far more damaging.

“We all know these cases can be complicated,” she said. “But the cost of doing nothing is that buildings fall further into disrepair, communities suffer, and families who could be living in those homes are left waiting. We cannot allow that to continue.

She added that the knock-on effect of restoring a derelict building includes new footfall to support local businesses and improve the look of towns and villages.