Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, has hit out at the government for implementing deep and damaging cuts to the funding needed to bring vacant and boarded-up council homes back into use, warning that the decision will compound the housing and homelessness crisis across the state and particularly in Wicklow.
Figures released to Deputy Brady via a Parliamentary Question reveal that the allocation to Wicklow County Council for 2025 under the Voids Programme is just €1.06 million — a drastic reduction from the €2,065,475 allocated in 2023.
Deputy Brady described the cut as “shocking and shameful”:
“At a time when Ireland is facing an unprecedented housing emergency — with record levels of homelessness, rising rents, and thousands on housing waiting lists — this government has chosen to slash in half the funding Wicklow needs to bring empty homes back into use. It’s an insult to the people who are desperately crying out for a place to live.”
The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) has identified 146 vacant social homes across Wicklow. Yet, due to lack of funding, only 65 of those will be returned to use in 2025 — meaning over 80 homes will be left empty, boarded up, and deteriorating.
Deputy Brady continued:
“This is more than just a missed opportunity — it’s a deliberate failure of policy. The government is actively preventing these homes from being returned to use. And the ones who suffer the consequences are ordinary people — families living in hotels, children growing up without stable housing, and young people stuck in overcrowded box rooms.”
He also highlighted the inadequacy of the current funding model, which allocates just €11,000 per house to local authorities:
“For some properties, that amount might be enough to carry out minor repairs. But for others — especially homes that have sat idle for years due to previous underfunding — €11,000 doesn’t even scratch the surface. These homes are then boarded up, left to deteriorate further, and in many cases become magnets for anti-social behaviour, illegal dumping, and community frustration. It’s an avoidable, manufactured problem caused by short-sighted government policy.”
Despite these challenges, Brady praised the dedicated work of Wicklow County Council and the municipal districts:
“I want to commend the council for the targeted, determined approach they’ve taken to addressing the backlog of boarded-up houses across Wicklow. The reality is that the backlog built up because of historic underfunding, and it has taken a major coordinated effort by the council to begin turning that around. These cuts will only make that job harder — and they risk undoing the progress that has already been made.”
Brady warned that the broader impact on the housing crisis would be significant:
“This government talks about tackling homelessness, but their actions tell a different story. What sense does it make to have people living in emergency accommodation at huge expense to the taxpayer, while publicly owned homes lie empty and unused?
This decision flies in the face of logic, compassion, and urgency. It will deepen the housing crisis, prolong homelessness, and leave people in impossible situations.”
He concluded:
“The Void Return Scheme needs a complete overhaul. It should be open year-round, fully resourced, and responsive to the actual needs on the ground. What we need now is not another press release from the government — we need real, immediate action.
We need a Minister who funds local authorities properly, who listens to them, and who gives them the tools to do their job. Cutting this funding in the middle of a housing crisis is not just a mistake — it’s a betrayal of the people who need homes the most.” Ends
For more information contact: Deputy John Brady 085-8546464