Longford Westmeath Young FG putting focus on housing

Longford Westmeath Young Fine Gael is currently part of an ongoing campaign that focuses directly on youth housing, and is calling on the government to assess the status of the Housing for All plan and to engage in a review of the national housing market. Young Fine Gael is committed to improving the national housing supply by making it more affordable to buy or rent a home, said Robert Landers, chairman of Longford Westmeath YFG. “We hope to see the process become more straightforward for buyers, young people and renters,” he said. “The cost of renting or buying a home in Ireland is among the highest in European and we strongly believe that the system needs to be remodelled.”

Proposals in the 12-page document touch on affordability, social housing, quality and homelessness. One proposal calls for the establishment of a student accommodation regulation board, which would set standards for both on- and off-campus accommodation. Another proposal calls for the creation of an independent national Traveller housing authority to help oversee the delivery of suitable accommodation for the Travelling community. That authority would also invite members of the Travelling community to be part of its board.

“Housing is the defining issue of this generation and we have outlined 32 policy ideas that we believe would help alleviate the current issues in the Irish housing market,” said Robert.

“Young Fine Gael welcomes the government’s Housing for All programme but we want engagement in order to bring new and fresh ideas to the table so that we can improve access to housing as well as its quality.

“Over the next few weeks Young Fine Gael will be releasing statements that will focus on the Housing for All plan that can be found on YFG.ie.”

Longford Westmeath YFG welcomes all between the ages of 15 and 35. If you would like to join the branch, make contact via Facebook or at longfordwestmeathyfg@gmail.com.