Proper investment needed for Fingal
Labour General Election candidate for Dublin Fingal, Cllr Duncan Smith, has said the people of Fingal have been let down by under investment in the region which is having a negative impact on residents’ quality of life.
Cllr Smith said:
“Despite being the youngest and fastest growing constituency in Ireland, the people of Fingal have been let down by this Government when it comes to proper investment in vitals areas like housing, schools and transport.
“The most recent private rental figures show that rent in North County Dublin, including in places like Swords, Balbriggan, Rush and Lusk, had the highest yearly increase in Dublin of 5.6 per cent in the last quarter, putting enormous pressure on already struggling families.
“Labour is the only party that has a clear plan to deal with this by creating a €16 billion fund, without raising taxes, to fund the construction of 80,000 homes on public land over five years.
“We will put in place a national affordable housing scheme for renters, which would also enable people to save for a home of their own at the same time.
“We have a chronic shortage of secondary school places in Fingal that’s been well documented, with many parents extremely worried about securing a place for their children in the next school year.
“A bespoke plan is needed for the region when it comes to schools if we don’t want to see our young families being forced to relocate.
“At the other end of the scale, families are struggling with high childcare costs which are forcing many to choose between working and staying at home to mind their children. It’s time to look at a high-quality, affordable State-led childcare scheme that will enable both parents to work if they want to, without breaking the bank.
“Fingal is one of Ireland’s largest commuter areas, but our bus and train services are seriously lacking, meaning people are stuck in their cars for hours on end as part of the daily commute.
“Proper investment is needed in our public transport system; we need more buses and trains to serve the rapidly growing population here.
“All of these factors are putting a real strain on residents’ quality of life, but we in the Labour Party have real solutions to improve things.
“It is clear that this Government has run out of road to get things done in Fingal and after nearly four years in power it is time for real change.”