People Before Profit Councillors Conor Reddy and Hazel De Nortúin have tabled a fully balanced alternative to the Dublin City Council Draft Budget 2026, a budget that is currently supported by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party and Labour. Our amendment scraps the proposed rent increases and instead funds improved housing maintenance, new enforcement of private rental standards, and new enforcement of planning laws on whole-home short-term letting by raising effective rates payments on the city's largest businesses.
Councillor Reddy, People Before Profit's group leader on Dublin City Council (DCC), said “We want to show clearly that there is another way. Even within the restrictive and underfunded local government system we have, there is no justification for loading new costs onto tenants who are already struggling. You can improve housing maintenance and strengthen regulation across all tenure types without forcing people into poverty, arrears or financial distress.”
What the PBP Amendment Provides:
The amendment retains the current Differential Rent Scheme, preventing any of the rent increases proposed in the Draft Budget - protecting council tenants, HAP, RAS and AHB tenants. Our amendment:
- Allocates an additional 1.5 million euro for housing maintenance on top of what is already allocated.
- Adds €1.2 million for an expansion of capacity for private rental inspections.
- Provides €300,000 for expanded enforcement of planning rules on whole-home short-term lets - the vast majority of which are operating outside the law.
- Creates a Local Business Support Scheme worth €23.8 million to protect 97.2 percent of businesses from any effective increase in commercial rates. (Note this saves small businesses from the rate increases proposed under the draft budget).
This approach is already in operation in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Limerick City Councils, where councils rebate smaller businesses so they do not feel the impact of rate increases. Although councils must legally set a single rate, the rebate means smaller businesses effectively pay less while the largest firms pay closer to their true capacity.
Councillor De Nortúin said “This is a simple and proven tool. It protects small businesses while requiring the biggest commercial interests to contribute a fairer share. There is no sensible reason why Dublin cannot do what other councils have already done.”
What the Ruling Group Are Proposing:
By contrast, the budget drafted by the Executive and supported by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Greens and Labour contains rent increases that would hit not only the 68,000 council tenants but also AHB tenants and thousands of HAP and RAS tenants; whose rents or contributions are based off the council's rent scheme. People Before Profit highlight that this is especially dangerous for HAP tenants, many of whom already pay unregulated top-up payments to private landlords. An additional charge to the Council on top of those top-ups is a serious threat to those households.
Councillor Reddy said “A rent increase for HAP households is effectively a double hit. They are already squeezed between overpriced private rents and top-ups that are barely legal. Adding a second charge from the Council is pushing people toward arrears, poverty and in many cases homelessness. It is completely indefensible.”
Councillor De Nortúin added that it is deeply unfair to demand more from tenants living in cold, damp homes while large commercial operators contribute a tiny portion of their turnover. “The ruling group’s proposal is regressive from top to bottom. You do not fix a maintenance backlog by extracting more money from people who are already struggling.”
Highlighting other options for increased revenues outside of the budget, Councillor Reddy said:
“Tens of millions are owed to DCC in unpaid vacant and derelict site levies and developers contributions. These should be collected before a single cent is levied on tenants through rent increases or homeowners through Local Property Tax increases.
"Beyond what should be paid, there is a broad desire for tourist taxes, which are supported by the majority of parties on DCC but not implemented because of lack of central government action."
A Call for Independence and a Real Alternative:
The councillors said that if other parties are serious about providing alternatives to the failed politics of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, they cannot simply follow the Executive’s line. Councillor Reddy said “If 'the Left' is to mean anything in Dublin City Council, it has to be independent of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and senior management. You cannot build a fairer city working with Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or the Council executive. Tonight, there is a real alternative on the table, it will be instructive who takes it up.”
People Before Profit are calling on all parties to support the amendment. If it is voted down, they urge the Green Party and Labour Party in particular to oppose the Executive’s budget rather than endorse a rent hike that punishes tenants while shielding major commercial interests