Two city councillors named as Green Party spokespeople as party reshuffles frontbench

Two Green Party members of Cork City Council have been named as spokespeople on the party’s new front bench.

Oliver Moran, who represents the party in the city’s North East ward, has been named as the party’s housing spokesperson, while Honore Kamegni, who is the party’s councillor in the city’s South East ward, has been announced as the new spokesperson for sport and youth.

Mr Moran told The Echo he was honoured to be named as a party spokesperson, at what he said was a critical time for housing in Ireland and added that he would be seeking a referendum, which would give people the right to housing.

“This is a fundamental step in ensuring that everyone in Ireland has access to a secure, appropriate and affordable place to live and to bring up a family in,” he said.

“We need to end vacancy and dereliction by promoting and supporting over-the-shop living, bring life back to our city centres and create vibrant, sustainable communities.

“A key part of that will be to continue to support the conversion of vacant properties in to housing through grant aid, making the most of our existing stock and reducing waste.”

He spoke of the need for “ambitious, large-scale” housing programmes, including social housing, affordable housing, and cost-rental models “to meet diverse needs and incomes”.

Mr Kamegni said he was also honoured to be named as a party spokesperson.

“In this new role, my priority is to address the high cost of living that many young people face, deliver a better transportation plan for stadiums across the country, support capital investment in local sports facilities, grow investment in women’s sport, and continue supporting youth sport academies and grassroots initiatives,” he said.

Mr Kamegni said that the party had a positive impact while in government, but acknowledged it didn’t always “strike the right balance between delivering green projects and addressing the day-to-day priorities of people’s lives”. 

“We’ve listened, we’ve learned, and we are ready to move forward with a renewed focus,” he added.