New build stats damn our leaders

IT is shocking but not surprising the Government has lied over the number of council houses being built.

The figures published in the Irish Mirror today expose the deceit being peddled by an administration that has a shameful record over the housing and homelessness crises.

Indeed, the Government’s half-hearted solutions and almost total reliance on the private sector has left the situation worse.

While the Taoiseach and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy have been spinning about building thousands of council properties each year the stark reality is these have been lies.

The public will be outraged that during the worst housing crisis in the State’s history just 1,014 local authority homes were built last year.

It also beggars belief six councils erected none and only 166 units were constructed in the first three months of this year.

Mr Murphy must be held to account for what can only be described as a campaign of deception to mask the Government’s abject failure.

These appalling house-build figures are a damning indictment of an administration whose free market ideology has blinded them to the suffering and needs of citizens.

It is past time the Government ended the fabrications and begins the actual construction of the tens of thousands of council homes needed to house an exploding population.