At a time of increasing homelessness and inadequate social housing, decisions by Dublin councillors to cut property tax income by 15 per cent represented political populism at its worst. For those facing property charges it was, of course, a welcome development. But for families on housing waiting lists or those in emergency accommodation it represented a kick in the teeth; confirmation that – in the social pecking order – they didn’t matter.
There has been a great deal of talk, as the gloom of recession lifts, about "doing things differently this time". Ministers emphasise the need for prudence and have talked down expectations of a give-away budget. President Michael D Higgins appealed for the formulation of a new set of principles that would underpin an ethical society. But local politicians were not listening. Their focus was on the demands of the so-called squeezed middle, rather than on the needs of those less likely to vote. It is a well-established pattern.
Dublin city councillors opted for the maximum, 15 per cent reduction in spite of warnings from chief executive Owen Keegan that the decision could hit homeless services. In the absence of clarity on future Government funding for housing, roads and homeless services, he had recommended a 5 per cent cut for the next three years, involving a reduced income of €4 million a year. €12 million could refurbish many vacant council properties.
The Government is not blameless. The delay in providing local authorities details of next year’s funding from the exchequer might be explained on budgetary grounds. But councillors should not have been allowed to take key decisions in a state of ignorance. Lacking vital information on future funding, those decisions should have been deferred. A blame game is now developing involving the four Dublin authorities, Government and the political parties. As the housing crisis grows, the only sure losers will be those in desperate need of social and emergency accommodation.