It has been revealed that seven housing associations, notorious for raising rents, pay their chief executives more than £100,000 a year! The combined chief executive salary budget across all housing associations in Northern Ireland stands over £2million. This does not include bonuses and the provision of expensive BMW’s and Audi’s. But they don’t need to worry, the Minister for Social Development Alex Attwood has said he will deal with this by proposing a “voluntary” pay cut for top earners – that will get ‘em shakin in their boots for sure Alex!
Over 40,000 people in Northern Ireland are now on the housing waiting list, making it the highest in 30 years. A further 20,000 people are officially described as being in “housing stress” where the cost of housing is high compared to housing income. There are also over 8,000 homeless cases in the North, most of them are single households, but a third are family households with children and 11% are elderly.
This week is the 75th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War, on 18 July 18. We mark this hugely important event in world history with an article first published on socialistworld.net in 2009.
Donal O’Cofaigh works as an advisor to community groups across Fermanagh. Donal made headlines in 2009 when he resigned his seat on Fermanagh District Council and from Sinn Fein out of disgust with the right-wing policies being carried out by the Sinn Fein together with the other parties in the Executive. Donal has proven to be a principled fighter for ordinary people by resigning his seat and a potential career to instead help build a socialist alternative for ordinary people.