Budget 2026: Security of renters as important as building more houses, says Threshold

The delivery of housing at scale has long been a government priority, with Cork city integral to this increase, given its space for expansion compared to Dublin.

A huge ramping-up of housing developments has been called for by every political party, and by representative groups and unions for sectors including education and health. All sectors are impacted by the lack of accommodation, which can make it harder to secure staff.

As well as increased supply, more action is also needed by the Government in the upcoming budget to ensure Cork’s large population of renters is secure, says housing charity Threshold.

Threshold’s southern regional services manager, Edel Conlon, who oversees operations in Cork, told The Echo: “Addressing the needs of private renters is crucial to creating a fair and equitable housing system, where everyone has access to safe, affordable, and stable housing.

“Renters continue to face serious challenges, such as high rents, low HAP rates, insecure tenancies, energy poverty, and difficulty sourcing suitable accommodation.”

In their pre-budget submission, Threshold outlined the “essential and urgent measures” that are needed to ease the financial strain on renters and ensure access to good-quality housing.

Ms Conlon said: “Such measures should inform the Government’s comprehensive, long-term plan for the housing sector, particularly in addressing issues of housing affordability and insecurity.

“A dedicated homelessness prevention budget is needed if we are going to succeed in reducing and ending homelessness. Ongoing investment in, and scaling up of, social cost-rental housing projects is essential.

“Those in need of a secure home require a fairer and more balanced housing system. This is about more than just housing: It is about building a society where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.”

Student housing has also been a topic of conversation, with University College Cork student union president, Alex Angland, recently addressing the joint committee on further and higher education, research, innovation, and science, asking the Government to build more publicly owned student housing, as Cork has the lowest portion of it out of the five Irish cities.

Maggie Cusack, president of Munster Technological University (MTU), recently addressed the same committee on the need to allow MTU to build its own accommodation.

Ms Cusack said: “Since there have been no opportunities for Cork Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Tralee, or MTU to build student accommodation, at MTU we do not have any of our own accommodation.

“As a consequence, many of our students travel to campus each day and are missing out on a quality student experience and the full benefits of campus life and peer learning. There are societal and economic knock-on effects of commuting, too, such as congestion in our communities and the undermining of our climate action targets.”

She said that they welcome the commitments to develop a multi-annual plan to deliver student accommodation, including through state-financed, purpose-built student accommodation on public or private lands, and to enable technological universities to borrow funds to provide for on-campus student accommodation.

Ms Cusack said: “At MTU, we have completed our demand analysis and identified land for on-campus student accommodation in Kerry and in Cork (on our Bishopstown campus). We have gone as far as we can, since we require derogated authority from the HEA to proceed to planning permission.”