War of words erupts between Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin ahead of Cork City Council meeting on housing

Sinn Féin were "more interested in a photo opportunity" than attending to housing issues, said Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald, but the party said the meeting was "procedural", and councillors spent most of that time talking to potential evictees instead.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald, pictured here at Cork City Council's Lotamore/Mayfield housing scheme, has accused Sinn Féin of 'political grandstanding'. 

Sinn Féin in Cork has been accused of being more interested in “political grandstanding” and photo opportunities than in taking decisions to help ease the housing crisis.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald, who is also chairman of Cork City Council’s housing strategic policy committee (SPC), levelled the charge ahead of what is expected to be a tense city council meeting on Tuesday, where an anti-eviction ban protest is expected to take place.

The agenda also includes a Sinn Féin motion calling for the reinstatement of the eviction ban — a motion which sparked a row at an emergency council meeting last Monday that was called for by four Sinn Féin councillors and Independent councillor Thomas Moloney in the wake of the lifting of the eviction ban.

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At that meeting, councillors were briefed on how the local authority is preparing for the expected fallout from the lifting of the eviction ban, but when Sinn Féin attempted to table a motion calling for a debate on the reinstatement of the eviction ban, councillors voted 13-12 against it, and the meeting ended abruptly.

Furious Sinn Féin councillors accused the coalition parties of shutting down debate.

But Mr Fitzgerald has now challenged the party to publicly explain why its members were absent from a finance and estimates committee meeting about an hour before the emergency meeting and at which several key housing decisions were taken.

The committee has, among other disposals, recommended to Tuesday’s full council meeting the disposal of 15 sites and 19 housing units in a large social housing development on Boherboy Rd in Mayfield, to various applicants under the local authority affordable purchase scheme.

“All these properties will be made available to those under the scheme, once approved by council,” said Mr Fitzgerald. 

"Sinn Féin were more interested in a photo opportunity outside City Hall rather than being inside attending to important housing issues."

We now know that Sinn Féin Cork engaged in political grandstanding to ensure the party profile is more important than the issues of our citizens.

“It’s obvious they are working for the party profile and not for the people, and take every opportunity to try and fool the people.” 

He also said that every housing project proposed by the council has received Government funding to proceed, and is either under way or about to start.

Meeting 'procedural', says SF

But Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent accused Mr Fitzgerald of “clutching at straws”.

He said he did attend the early stages of the finance and estimates meeting, but left before the disposals to attend a protest outside City Hall, where he said he and other party colleagues were engaged with people facing eviction.

“As most councillors would know, the discussion on these disposals at this committee is procedural, and they will come before Tuesday’s full council meeting for approval anyway,” he said.

“While we were outside, we were talking to a young woman who is facing eviction and she will be among those at the protest on Tuesday.”

But Mr Fitzgerald said Sinn Féin has failed to recognise the level of local authority housing construction under way in the city at the moment, and that despite the pressures, progress is being made.