‘I’m in my 40s and living with my parents, the housing crisis is affecting me directly’

Lydia Bigley, a Social Democrat candidate for Blackrock, lived in Berlin for over two years and returned to Dublin in 2022. However, she “didn’t like the direction that Ireland was going in” when she got back.

While she was able to find a job straight away, Ms Bigley has struggled with both the housing and cost-of-living-crisis. Now, she wants to represent people in the same boat as her.

“I thought, now is the time, I can’t just sit back here and not do anything. I want to get involved. I want to see change. If you want change, you need to vote for somebody new and for a newer party as well,” she said.

“The job market is good at the moment. But in terms of the housing crisis, yes, that directly impacts me.

“I’ve been living with my parents since I moved back from Berlin just because the rents are crazy. I’ve never owned property. It’s been one of the major drivers of getting me involved in politics.

“Prices are going up. They were going up in Berlin too, but compared to Dublin, it’s nowhere near that level.

“We are being completely ripped off. A lot of larger multi-national companies are using the cost-of-living crisis as an excuse to raise prices.

“I work in UCD and one of the cafés there charges €3.75 for a pre-packaged granola bar. I really don’t see how that can be justified in any way, shape or form,” she added.

Ms Bigley believes her life experience will work in her favour when it comes to being a councillor.

“The housing crisis here is the number one issue now and it’s having an awful effect on everybody. People talk about the younger generation, the generation locked out,” she said.

“I’m in my 40s and it’s affecting me directly. It’s affecting my parents because I’m living with them.

“I’ve got friends who have children whose relationships have broken down and they’ve had to move back in with their parents, with their children or live in rented accommodation.

“I’m new to this but I think I have lived experience of many of the issues. I have experience of living in Germany, so I have that experience of seeing how it can be done better.

“Not everything in Germany or in Berlin is perfect, but I think their system is definitely better.

“When I’m at the doors, there are often issues that even if they haven’t affected me directly, I would be familiar with because I’ve been living in the real world,” she added.