Sinn Féin TDs in Cork unveil alternative budget 

SINN Féin TDs in Cork officially launched the party's alternative budget for 2024 in Blackpool yesterday.

It comes ahead of the announcement of Budget 2024 on Tuesday. 

Cork North-Central TD Thomas Gould was joined by Cork South-Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire at the Garden Café on Assumption Road for the event. 

Sinn Féin’s Alternative Budget aims to tackle the housing crisis, the cost-of-living crisis as well as address climate change.

“The Budget is about choices and our choices focuses on low-income earners by delivering them fairness and tackle the cost of living," Deputy Ó Laoghaire said. 

Housing 

“What we are trying to do is force the government to build more housing. Their projection for next year is 10,000 [houses built], ours is 21,000.

“We would look at the vacant properties. There are over 160,000 vacant properties in the state, and we’re looking to target 4,000 of those a year and [renovate them] within the year,” Deputy Gould said.

The alternative budget includes an ambitious plan to deliver 1,000 social homes a year in the aim to end homelessness for those over 55 years of age as well as significantly reduce the number of children experiencing homelessness.

The TDs say the plan would be the first batch of annually continuous housing which could also be used to help the elderly downsize their homes to allow for larger families to move into larger ready-made homes.

Cost-of-living

Some of the alternative budget priority measures to ease the burden of the cost-of-living includes cutting childcare fees for parents by two thirds compared to last year’s Budget.

The minimum wage would increase by €1.50, to €12.80. The plan would also increase working age weekly social welfare rates by €15, pensions by €10 and €15 for those who live alone, and disability related payments would increase by €20.

Another measure includes cutting USC to “give workers” over €375 per annum.

“Every worker will see some benefit, and those proportionally that will see the biggest benefit are low to middle income earners.

“The cost for parents around the end is the year, paying a few bills and having a good Christmas when you’re under pressure is very difficult,” Mr Ó Laoghaire said.

Climate measures 

Combating climate is also addressed. 

“When you look at what happened over the summer with the flooding and even this weekend, we’re expecting a heatwave. Climate needs to be in everything we do,” Mr Gould said.

Sinn Féin proposes to replace the national retrofit programme with new and reformed schemes which they say are more cost effective.

Their alternative budget also details the plan to make the temporary 20% fare reduction on public transport permanent and extending to commercial operators, as well as reducing fares for young people and students by 50%.

“We hope that the government takes our whole budget because we know that we have a solution-based budget. We know that ordinary workers and families will really benefit and make a fundamental difference to their lives,” Mr Gould concluded.