Louth Community Campaigning To Prevent County Council From Reducing Tax On Vacant Landlords

A campaign has been set up by the Louth community to prevent the local authority from reducing taxes on vacant landlords for 2027. 

The same proposal was passed last year by the County Council. It was opposed last year as well by the community. The main organiser behind the campaign is independent People Before Profit (PBP) member and activist James Renaghan, who is not associated with any network within the party. Renaghan pointed out in a video on social media, standing in front of a derelict property, that the proposal passed last year clearly did not alleviate the housing crisis, and is designed to benefit landlords, who can speculate on derelict, vacant and empty properties.

“Those who own vacant properties that have been left long term should not be rewarded for that, particularly when ordinary working people are struggling to get by. Property hoarders & wealthy funds should be penalised, and forced to either put the vacant buildings into use or face harsher financial sanctions,” he said in a statement, continuing to add that “a 2023 report into property vacancy by Louth Council surveyed 1599 properties and found at least 832 as either vacant or derelict across the county. Louth Council was granted €7 Million fund to Compulsory Purchase Order vacant and derelict properties in Louth. By October 2025 funding had been used on 1 vacant property. This fund should be put rigorously to work to acquire properties to provide social housing, public amenities and third spaces for the community”.

“Louth County Council are owed almost €573,000 in Derelict Sites Levy as of July 2026. A figure which would be much higher now if the council enforced owners to register these derelict sites. We must be bolder and more imaginative than the narrow purview of the propertied class to truly tackle vacancy within our towns. There is an opportunity here to look past tired and failing economic dogmas to how do we construct our towns and villages. Council funding a community third space would enrich our areas much more than business investments. Give communities agency to construct social life not pleading with reduced rates to businesses that will then charge us full price, “ he concluded. 

They are calling on Louth County Council, which has 12 electeds from FFG, and its chief executive David Conway, to:

• Stop plans to halt 2027 rates for vacancy
• Increase rates to full 100% on vacant & derelict buildings
• Add identified derelict properties to the Derelict Sites Register
• Make use of budgeted funding to buy empty homes and buildings
• Funds taken in to be ringfenced for renovating CPO properties.
• Open consultation on community third spaces in town centres.

Local councils in Ireland have limited autonomy overall, being the weakest in all of the European Union.  

All concerned citizens are called upon to write to the Council to prevent this policy which will help rich landlords and worsen the housing crisis. Those wishing to do so must do it today. The deadline is Friday August 28th 2026. 

Online - https://tinyurl.com/57sar9j4

By Post - Louth County Council, Millennium Centre, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk, A91 KFW6

By Email - ratesvacancyabatement@louthcoco.ie