Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county councillors have approved increases in social housing rents, parking and recycling charges, as part of an almost €300 million budget for 2026.
The council also agreed to increase commercial rates by some 1 per cent.
From January 2026, parking charges are to increase by 20 per cent and there will be a €4 increase for bring-charges at the council’s the Ballyogan recycling centre.
The budget increases were approved in a vote by 21 votes to 16 against on Tuesday night. They were supported by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael council members and opposed by members of the Green Party and Labour.
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The increase in commercial rates was approved by 19 votes to 15.
In the course of an at times heated annual budget meeting that went on until close to midnight, Labour and Green Party members said the budget would penalise those on lower incomes. They said there was “a €9 million hole” in the council’s finances caused by a reduction in local property tax (LPT) earlier this year.
Labour’s Oisin O’Connor said the council was asking tenants on disability allowance of €250 per week, to pay an additional €4 per week in rent. He said the increases were forced on the vulnerable because the council had earlier this year voted to reduce local property tax by €1 to €1.50 per week. He said the budget was neither balanced nor fair.
Conor Dowling of the Green Party said the budget was “squeezing the vulnerable.” He said the budget was “not balanced, it is just wrong.”
He said Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council was the only local authority in the State to give the maximum 15 per cent reduction in LPT to residential property owners.
Fianna Fáil’s Michael Clark said he would be voting for the budget “with some reluctance.” He noted the council executive said that next year’s spending required an increase in council charges. He apologised “to all those who had to pay those increased charges” and added that he considered “these increases to be a once-off and shouldn’t be increased again for the rest of the council term.”
Fine Gael councillor Barry Saul said the budget was “progressive”. He said both Labour and the Green Party had voted for increases in the past and he accused the Green Party particularly of bringing in increased parking charges “and now they are saying they are against them”.
