Housing has become the clearest example of how life is being made unaffordable for ordinary working people across Galway, according to Mark Lohan, Sinn Féin's candidate in the upcoming Galway West by-election.
Mr Lohan said that after years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in power, the situation is worse than ever.
“Rents across Galway city and county have risen by 50% since 2020, with families paying around €7,000 more a year just to keep a roof over their heads. House prices have exploded – up almost 50% in the city and more than 60% in the county. Buying a home now costs over €140,000 more than it did just a few years ago.
“And after all the promises, not a single affordable home to rent or buy has been delivered in Galway West under the Government’s affordable housing schemes. That tells you everything,” he said, adding that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are good at announcements and photo opportunities, but ordinary workers and young couples are still locked out of home ownership and trapped paying crippling rents.
“Housing is a major feature of the wider cost-of-living crisis, leaving families with less for groceries, heating bills, childcare and fuel,” he said.
Mark Lohan and Sinn Féin believe the crisis requires an emergency response – including a temporary ban on no-fault evictions, restoring tenant-in-situ supports, delivering genuinely affordable homes and tackling the loss of rental properties to short-term lets and AirBnB.
“This by-election is a chance to send a strong message that Galway has had enough of government failure and empty promises. Vote Mark Lohan No 1, ” he concluded.
