Cross-party revolt bid to scupper Homes Bill

HOUSING Minister Darragh O’Brien is facing an ever-growing, cross-party revolt over his controversial Land Development Agency Bill.

A meeting of Mayo councillors this week unanimously supported a motion by independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, who criticised the Bill as, ‘unacceptable and an affront to democracy’.

He added: ‘As advocates for the empowerment of local government, we can never support or accept any diminution in the reserved functions and powers of elected councillors.’

The minister’s plans are being opposed by councillors from Labour, the Social Democrats, Sinn Féin and the Greens, while Fine Gael, despite initially setting up the LDA, is split on the issue.

Concern is centred on sweeping powers being given to the LDA and its chairman, the former finance secretary general John Moran, to acquire and dispose of council land for building.

Labour has voted to support the Bill in the Dáil but said it is

‘He won’t be invited to any candlelit suppers’

opposed, in principle, to the sections diluting the powers of councillors to dispose of or acquire land. The party said these will have to be modified.

And, in an indication of gathering cross-party unease, Labour housing spokeswoman Rebecca Moynihan said: ‘I have huge concerns regarding some of the minister’s proposals on the potential of 30% of the land being available to sell to private developers and the lack of definition of “affordable housing” related to people’s incomes.’

The senator added that the party opposes ‘the power of disposals only being with the minister and we oppose the removal of section 183 local authority members’ power over disposals’.

One senior Green source said: ‘Local democracy is part of the Greens DNA. There are signals of unease already.’

And in Fine Gael, the Bill has accentuated the rural-urban divide. The party’s rural councillors are opposed while urban councillors have spoken in favour. One party source said: ‘The posh squad, the South Dublin councillors, are feeding us to the wolves again.’

Mr O’Brien retains some support in Fine Gael but support is leaking away from him within his own Fianna Fáil party.

A party source said: ‘Councillors

have an abject record in actually building anything but they don’t like any powers being taken away from them.’

Another said: ‘A council revolt and unhappy senators is the last thing Darragh O’Brien needs or wants if he actually has convinced himself that he is a leadership contender but he certainly won’t be getting invitations to any candlelit suppers with Fianna Fáil councillors.’