Nash welcomes Drogheda and Dundalk’s inclusion in Living Cities Initiative

Labour TD, Ged Nash has welcomed the Budget announcement that Drogheda and Dundalk are to be included in the Living Cities Initiative, after what he says was a decade-long campaign by the Louth TD and others.

Deputy Nash said: “Years of campaigning have borne fruit in today’s Budget as the government finally listened to my repeated calls to have Drogheda and Dundalk added to the Living Cities Initiative. This measure will be a new weapon at our disposal in the war against vacancy and dereliction in our two largest towns.”

The Louth Labour TD said: “I’ve been campaigning for these town’s inclusion in this scheme for a decade now. I have consistently raised the issue, year after year, putting down amendments to the Finance Bill to make this tax break available to people who want to renovate pre-1913 buildings in urban areas, and bring them back to life.”

Deputy Nash also welcomed the government’s decision in Budget 2026 to transfer responsibility for collecting the Derelict Sites Levy from local authorities to the Revenue Commissioners. He said the move, which Labour has long called for, marks a significant step forward in holding big developers and property owners to account.

Deputy Nash said: “Labour has been calling for years for the Derelict Sites Levy  to be collected by Revenue rather than local authorities. 

“Big developers and speculators have ignored local councils for too long — but they won’t be able to ignore Revenue. This change is a long overdue recognition that tackling vacancy and dereliction requires serious enforcement.

“For too long, the problem of vacancy and dereliction has been treated as an afterthought. Across every town and city in Ireland, families walk past boarded-up homes and crumbling buildings that could be providing secure housing. By empowering Revenue to collect the levy, Government is finally acknowledging that the system must have teeth.”

Deputy Nash concluded: “With both of these tools finally in our armoury, I look forward to real impact on the ground in Drogheda and Dundalk, breathing new life into our two largest towns.”