Skip The "Bells and Whistles" – Tanaiste Scolds Councils Over Upgrades Holding Back Vacant Homes

Friday, 20 June 2025 15:53

By Martin Osborne

In remarks delivered in the Dáil, Harris said the Government would soon issue a circular to all local authorities, directing them to stop holding back homes for unnecessary upgrades.

Tanaiste Simon Harris has sharply criticised local authorities for allowing thousands of council homes to sit empty during a national housing crisis, saying people simply want homes that are “safe and warm” and not “the devil and all done.”

In remarks delivered in the Dáil, Harris said the Government would soon issue a circular to all local authorities, directing them to stop holding back homes for unnecessary upgrades.

"I have had a lot of discussions with a lot of people who are saying, "Hang on, if only I could get into that house. I do not need the devil and all done, I just need it to be safe and warm," Harris said.

“Health and safety should be the only grounds for the delay of the giving out of a local authority home,” he said.

The issue of vacancy has drawn increasing scrutiny amid wider concerns over missed housing targets and under-delivery.

Fianna Fail recently stated that it accepts the number of vacant homes is unacceptable, but doesn't think all the blame should lie with the government.

Figures released to Sinn Fein showed nearly 3 thousand council homes are currently vacant.

Of those, around 700 have been idle for more than a year.

129 homes are vacant in Kildare.

More from Local News

Survivors’ Stories And Counselling Gave Kildare Woman Maeve Leahy Strength To Speak Out About Abuse

Audio

Thomas Howard, the 79-year-old former GAA referee from Old Kilcullen, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at Tullamore Circuit Court.
€34.5m Boost Backs Quest To Study Memory Loss And Build 3-D Biodegradable Spinal Supports

Other funded work includes discovering new yeast species in Irish ecosystems, and studying how early-life memories are lost and how this process differs in autism and between sexes, to potentially "reverse" memory loss.
Newbridge Library To Relocate Next Month Ahead Of 2026 Rebuild

Because the project will take place on the existing library site, Newbridge Community Library will temporarily close on Thursday 11 December at 8pm to allow for its relocation to Liffey Lodge, which will serve as its temporary home during the build.
13 New Gardaí For Kildare - But No Increase For Part-Time Maynooth Station

Audio

Maynooth, which is similar in size to Leixlip, still operates only a part-time Garda station and no new Gardai have been allocated to the station under the latest deployment.
Kildare’s Rain Warning Brought Forward To 9am As Remnants Of Storm Claudia Approach Ireland

A Status Orange alert for heavy rain in Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow will be in effect from 12 noon today until 8am tomorrow.
Christmas Gift Caution As E-Scooters Leading Cause Of Child Brain Injuries

Parents are being advised not to buy them for children.
€540k Worth Of Ketamine Seized In Major Kildare Raid

A man in his 20s was arrested.
Former GAA Referee Thomas Howard From Old Kilcullen Jailed For Indecently Assaulting His Niece

He previously appeared before Judge Sinéad McMullen at Tullamore Circuit Court, where the court heard details of the abuse of his niece, Maeve Leahy, during the mid-1980s and 1990s.