The ‘One Cork’ trade union grouping, which includes IMPACT, has called for the establishment of a municipal housing authority to accelerate the building of public housing. The group says this would avoid an over-reliance on private sector housing, which has failed to solve the accommodation crisis.

The proposal says the municipal authority should be a stand-alone non-profit company that would pool existing expertise available within local authorities, including architects, finance and procurement experts. The One Cork group believes this, and the authority’s not-for-profit status, could reduce the cost of houses by 15-20%.

The new housing authority would be answerable to council management. Houses built on State-owned land would be offered on long-term leases to tenants, with rental income used to pay back borrowing obtained from the European Investment Bank.

Fiona Dunne, who co-ordinates the One Cork Project, said ICTU fully supported the Cork initiative. She said the One Galway project would follow suit to address the housing crisis there. Together Cork and Galway would serve as a blueprint for the rest of the country.

IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “This is a great example of trade unions working together at a local level to provide solutions to serious social issues. We have a housing crisis. There is a need for a building programme for social housing. This mechanism provides a way for the necessary funds to be obtained while still fully utilising local authority services.”

IMPACT and 19 other unions have been active participants in One Cork since its inception. At a national level IMPACT has been highlighting the housing and homeless crises over recent years. Most recently IMPACT and four other unions mounted the Fair Rent Campaign to raise awareness of problems in the private rented sector.