Irish Examiner view: Planning and tenant-in-situ troubles show depth of housing crisis
Under the tenant-in-situ scheme, local authorities would buy properties that landlords wished to sell while leaving sitting tenants in situ. However, central funding has dried up, potentially putting such tenants at risk of eviction. Picture: iStock
The housing crisis continues to defy all attempts to find a solution or, perhaps, a series of solutions. Just as the crisis has left marks on every part of Irish life, none of them beneficial, bespoke answers may be required to address the resulting challenges.
Yet another problem came to the fore this week with Tadgh McNally writing in these pages about the tenant-in-situ scheme — a mechanism whereby local authorities are authorised to step in and buy a rental property if the landlord is selling the property, thus allowing the tenants to remain in place and continue renting their home.
However, the tenant-in-situ scheme now faces collapse due to a cut in government funding. Cork City Council, for example, has stated baldly that the funding allocation it has received is inadequate to fulfil its existing commitments and the projected programme for 2025.
One of the key benefits of the tenant-in-situ scheme is its role in preventing homelessness. Cork City Council stated that the programme last year accounted for 37.75% of the total homelessness preventions in the city — a number which included 51 families and comprised of 100 children.
On the same day this story broke, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers complained that there is “too much tolerance” in our planning system for objections to housing and renewable energy projects — objections he feels are frustrating the broader public good.
It is hardly a surprise to see two such stories appear almost simultaneously. As noted, the sheer breadth of our housing crisis means such coincidences are inevitable.
However, the synchronicity is also instructive. The tenant-in-situ scheme is designed to help those already in the housing ecosystem, while the planning system exists to aid those trying to procure housing.
The fact that both are in trouble shows how our housing crisis has the capacity to cause problems at every point in the system. That is hardly news in itself, but it gives a fair indication of the challenges we face.
As an example of unintended consequences, the impact of Ozempic on Irish agriculture may be difficult to beat.
It and other GLP-1 drugs were originally developed to help diabetes sufferers, but Ozempic has since come to the fore as a favoured option among celebrities seeking to lose weight quickly. Unsurprisingly, many others have sought to emulate those famous users, and now Ozempic use has become far more widespread.
The drug is so widely used that a recent Bord Bia seminar heard details of its impact on consumer purchasing behaviour and eating habits.Â
Those at the seminar heard that, in general, consumers are not only eating significantly less because of the use of such drugs, they are also eating a lot differently.
The drop in the amount of food being eaten is noticeable, for instance, with the seminar learning that consumers are eating approximately 10%-15% less.
The change in eating behaviour is also significant, and this is where the Irish dairy industry comes in. The conference heard that overall less cream, milk, cheese, ice cream, and butter sales were made with GLP-1 users, but more cottage cheese and yoghurt was consumed. As a consequence, our €18bn dairy industry faces particular challenges in meeting higher demand in one sector and lower demand in others.
What is particularly notable is the speed with which these changes have occurred.Â
The Bord Bia seminar heard that the food industry had originally planned for the challenge of Ozempic on the basis that supplies of it and similar drugs were so limited that a large percentage of the population would simply be unable to access them.
Yet, since these weight loss drugs started to hit the headlines around mid-2022, their use has exploded, and now it is estimated that 10% to 12% of the US population alone is using them, or up to 30m adults.
That is an extraordinarily high percentage of a nation’s population using these drugs, and Ireland’s dairy industry is now facing up to the consequences of that. Other industries and sectors will surely have to deal with other unexpected challenges related to that uptake.
The funeral of John Mullins took place yesterday at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Dennehy’s Cross, Cork.Â
Mr Mullins, who died at the age of 57 last Monday, was a man of many parts — former chief executive of Bord Gáis, group chairman of clean energy firm Amarenco Solar, president of Cork Chamber, and chairman of the Port of Cork board.
He was a member of the board of directors of Páirc Uà Chaoimh and the One Cork fundraising committee, while last year he ran for Fine Gael in the European elections: Both Tanáiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Micheál Martin were at the funeral.
The list of achievements was a long and distinguished one, but the congregation also heard about Mr Mullins’s dedication to a wide range of charities.
He was chairman of EnergyCloud Ireland, which seeks to help those in energy poverty; founding chairman of the Irish charity for bereaved parents, Anam Cara; and an Age Friendly Ireland ambassador for the Cork region.
In his work on behalf of those in need, Mr Mullins offered an example for others to follow. His business commitments were onerous and time-consuming, but giving back to others was what made him a true leader in his community.
Ar dheis DĂ© go raibh a anam.
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