OPINION: Key issues in Tipperary as the hustings begin ahead of General Election 2024
Regional Editor for Tipperary, Darren Hassett, profiles the Tipperary South constituency ahead of polling day on November 29
Water Infrastructure
More than any other county, Tipperary is blighted by water outages - particularly in the Clonmel area - which is also a huge part of the Tipperary South voter population.
It is likely to be an issue that candidates will hear a lot about at the doors as the outages for many urban and rural areas across the county have been long-lasting and recurring.
Housing
Thousands of 18 to 22-year-olds will be voting for the first time ever in this General Election and many of them face the prospect of never owning their own home.
Never mind owning their own home, many of them can’t even find a place to rent in Tipperary.
As of November 11, there were 20 properties available to rent on daft.ie in county Tipperary.
One two-bed apartment in Thurles was going for €1,450 per month.
Transport
The housing/rental crisis is also putting more cars on the road as people face long commutes, from students to workers and this impacts on people’s quality of life.
And to make matters worse, the public transport system in Tipp leaves a lot to be desired and if the next Government is to encourage more people to use public transport then significant investment is needed to improve bus and rail connectivity across towns and villages.
Immigration
Tipperary has been a flashpoint from an immigration perspective with the Racket Hall protests in Roscrea and the Dundrum House Hotel stand-off and Heywood Road protests in Clonmel.
If the Local Elections are anything to go by, the swell of opposition to the relocation of refugees and asylum seekers into Tipperary does not adversely affect Government party candidates.
VAT rate
Fine Gael has already proposed in its General Election manifesto that “within 100 days of Government, Fine Gael will introduce a package to reduce the VAT rate to 11% for food based hospitality, entertainment and hairdressers”.
A huge issue is business closures, from cafés, to butchers, to clothes shops.
Communities are fighting to keep their rural towns and villages prosperous, and candidates will need to offer solutions for the dereliction and vacant sites that are littered around the county.
More must be done to support local traders and business people and stop the spread of local businesses closing down.
Healthcare
A perennial issue that seems to be a blackhole for billions of euro in every budget with no real improvements felt on the ground.
A particular issue in Tipperary North with residents impacted by the Limerick A&E warzone.