‘Years to address’ lack of investment in public housing

The head of the Nevin Economic Research Institute has warned that an “almost complete” removal of investment from quality public housing following the financial collapse has left a legacy “that will take years to address”.

Tom Healy said that the total of local authority and housing association house-building construction as a percentage of housing output went from 28% in 1985 to 6% in 2012.

“The impact of fiscal austerity in the 1980s was such as to greatly reduce the proportion of local authority housing as a proportion of housing stock or new housing units,” he said.