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Dublin Live
National
Roisin Butler

Cost of living Ireland: Coalition founder hits out at eviction ban decision ahead of upcoming protest

A cost of living activist has described the end of the eviction ban as "devastating" ahead of a demonstration.

Eddie Conlon founded the Cost of Living Coalition in early 2022 as inflation began to spike. The campaign has the backing of political parties such as People Before Profit, and will take part in two upcoming protests related to the eviction ban.

Eddie said that TDs involved with their campaign have been "inundated" with queries from renters, who face uncertainty when the eviction ban ends. The group originally organised their own protest against rising bills and high rents on April 1, but will also take part in a Raise the Roof protest tomorrow outside the Dail.

READ MORE: Cost of living Ireland: Dublin councillor criticises government's 'perfect storm' response to eviction bans

He told Dublin Live: "We planned our demonstration on April 1 to warn people not to be fooled by this government. We remain very concerned about the cost of living- we've seen that inflation has gone up again in February despite reports that it would go down."

Statistics from the Consumer Price Index show that February rents were approximately 11 per cent higher than reported last year. Eddie said these figures prove that the government's cost of living strategy has failed.

The group is calling for the eviction ban to be reinstated with immediate effect. They previously held large scale demonstrations around the time of the September budget, which Eddie believed had an impact on the overall allocations.

Eddie also hit out at the one off payments announced last month, which the government hopes will combat living costs. He said that many cohorts, including pensioners, need more long term supports as opposed to one off measures.

Eddie added: "We have a number of members who are really unhappy with how the government are treating pensions. We are also quite concerned about increases in mortgage payments. The reality is that these one off measures are completely inadequate."

The group are gathering outside the Dail at 5pm sharp alongside trade union-led campaign Raise The Roof. Further information is available via Cost of Living Coalition's Facebook page.

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