Housing list ‘to rise above 60,000’

THE number of people on the housing waiting lists will rise above 60,000 next year because spending on housing will be below the construction inflation level, social housing groups warned yesterday.

Estimates published yesterday revealed that 1.13 billion will be spent on social and local authority housing next year up just 3% on this year.

The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) said this will not be enough to even keep pace with the annual target of 8,000 houses set out by the Government in the National Development Plan.