Cllr. Éilis Ryan

The Workers’ Party has this morning said that last night’s reversal of a motion passed six weeks ago to keep O’Devaney Gardens in public hands ‘makes a mockery of local government.’

Speaking following a special meeting of Dublin City Council last night, Councillor Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party) said:

“Councillors are attempting to present as a victory the diktat handed down from Fine Gael that 70% of O’Devaney Gardens must be handed over to private developers. This is entirely misleading.

Of course Fine Gael oppose the building of social housing – but why should we, as councillors, simply bow down to their will without challenging them? That’s a defeat, plain and simple.”

Councillor Ryan’s July motion, which gained the support of the council, would have seen 100% public, mixed income housing built on O’Devaney Gardens. Speaking of Sinn Féin Labour councillors’ decision to reverse their support for that motion, the councillor said:

“The fact that a majority of councillors can pass a policy one month, and within a matter of weeks call an extraordinary meeting to reverse that policy at the direction of national government, makes a mockery of local government.”