People Before Profit have criticised the decision of Dublin City Councillors to reject a credible alternative to rent hikes and instead pass the Executive’s budget by 31 votes to 30, with the PBP amendment falling 28–31 and one abstention from a Social Democrats Councillor (the rest of the Social Democrat group voted for the amendment).
Speaking after the vote, People Before Profit group leader on DCC Councillor Conor Reddy (Dublin North West) said:
“Tonight, Labour and the Greens voted with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to raise rents on the poorest people in this city. They had a fair, workable alternative in front of them and they refused to take it. The consequences will be poverty, homelessness and misery for many households.”
Councillor Reddy said:
“We showed exactly how you could protect tenants, support small businesses, strengthen enforcement and improve maintenance without forcing another cent out of low-income households. Our scheme has been proven to work in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and Limerick. There was nothing abstract or unworkable about it.”
A clear political choice, and Labour and Greens chose the wrong side:
Councillor Reddy condemned Labour and Green councillors for not taking the alternative offered to them:
“Labour and the Greens call themselves progressive parties, but when the moment came, they sided with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They chose to raise rents on the people with the least, instead of asking the wealthiest businesses in the city to contribute a fairer share. That is a political choice and it has drastic consequences – it will result in more poverty, more misery, more homelessness”
Rent hikes will deepen hardship
The budget now passed will raise rents on:
- Council tenants
- AHB tenants
- HAP tenants already paying top-ups
- RAS tenants
A fully costed, workable alternative was on the table.
The PBP amendment was fully balanced and offered a better budget than the one drafted by the Executive. It would have:
- Given €2.2 million more for housing maintenance than the Executive’s proposal
- Provided €500,000 in extra funding for housing support advisers and private rental standards inspectors
- Delivered €500,000 in additional funding for Traveller-specific accommodation maintenance
- Scrapped the rent increases that will now hit council tenants, AHB tenants, HAP and RAS households
- Shielded 97.5% of businesses in the city from the 14.89% rate increase proposed
- Applied the increase only to the largest, most profitable 2.5% of businesses, those with the broadest shoulders (those paying rates over 100k per year)
- Resulted in lower rates than the Executive’s budget for any business paying €5,000 or less.
Councillor Reddy added:
“These increases will push households into deeper hardship. For many HAP and RAS tenants already struggling, this will mean arrears, impossible choices and greater risk of homelessness. The Council could have avoided that. It chose not to.”
The fight continues.
PBP pledged to continue organising with tenants and community groups.
“We will stand with tenants affected by these increases and continue pushing for proper funding from central government and for a fairer, more democratic processes. Tonight’s vote makes one thing clear: if you want to defend tenants in this city, you cannot rely on Labour or the Greens. People Before Profit will continue doing that work. We encourage people to join CATU and get organised ahead of the rent hike in April 2026. The call has to be, get organised, “no way, we wont pay”, we need to channel the spirit of the 1972/73 rent strike led by the National Association of Tenants when differential rents were increased nationally.”