Housing was a dominant theme in the last general election campaign and – along with the cost of living – is again on the minds of voters this time. It is a complex policy area, and voters would be forgiven for struggling to assess the contrasting plans of the main parties. In the end, of course, many will decide not on the details but on who they trust to address this vital issue. This is a reasonable position; after all, the ability and the will to deliver is as important as the promises themselves.
On housing, the parties’ plans have one important thing in common. All agree that massive exchequer resources need to be deployed in this area and that, in one way or another, the State and its agencies need to take a leading role.
Voters will, correctly, ask questions of the outgoing Government about the pace of its programme. House building has increased – and Covid-19 did slow progress. But it took the Government its entire term to pass new planning legislation and its delivery of social and affordable options has been slow.
To win the confidence of voters, it must persuade them that it can do better – and move more quickly. Its response to the Commission on Housing was defensive and inadequate. Housing is an emergency and new ideas from an expert group need careful and urgent study.
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The Government will claim that – belatedly – it is on the right track. The Opposition argues otherwise. All have different proposals on the issue of social and affordable housing where Sinn Féin, in particular, will hope its detailed plans attract some support. Inevitably, any proposals will have to survive coalition talks.
In the social and affordable area the Housing Commission makes important points. Central to this is developing a sustainable financial model, while in the area of social housing moving away from reliance on Housing Assistance Payments is vital, as this approach is a poor use of State resources and damages the rental market.
Structures are also important, both to deliver housing and also the associated water and energy infrastructure without which homes cannot be built. There are a variety of proposals here and it is welcome that most of the parties recognise the problem, even if solutions vary. What is clear is that new arrangements must coordinate house planning and delivery much better and involve the injection of additional planning and project management skills into the system.
None of this is easy – or can be achieved overnight. Accepting that solutions will take time is necessary. But so is harnessing the whole system to start to move more quickly, delivering the right kind of homes in the correct locations. Promising to provide more subsidies for buyers is,in the long term, of little use if housing on the required scale is not being delivered.