South Dublin County Council has been blocked from introducing a forthcoming rent increase on its tenants after an emergency meeting was called days before it was to come into force. A special motion to legally mandate the council’s executive body to engage with tenants and tenants’ unions before implementing a rent increase passed by 15 votes to one on Thursday. It affects about 20,300 households. Councillors from People Before Profit (PBP), Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and some Independents voted in favour, while the sole dissent came from the council’s mayor, Pamela Kearns, a member of the Labour Party. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors did not attend the emergency meeting, called by PBP. Neither did the only other Labour councillor. Previously, rents were established as 10 per cent of the household’s “assessable income” plus €3, according council documents. An extra 10 per cent on income over €40,000 was applied depending on how large the family.The proposed changes involved raising this to a 12.5 per cent base rate, increasing the minimum rate from €27.40 to €35 a week and including the Working Family social welfare payment in household’s assessed income. Such a move would increase rents by up to 53 per cent in the worst cases, PBP claimed in statement, and 25 per cent for many others. Councillors were informed in May of the executive body’s intention to increase rents from July 1st and later found out a February motion instructing the executive to engage with tenants and unions before doing so had not been upheld. The February motion was not legally binding, which is the case for nearly all motions put before county councils. PBP councillor Jess Speare informed the executive body, which had been advocating for the increase, of her intention to invoke a rarely-called upon section of the 2001 Local Government Act that places a legal obligation on the executive to carry out a certain duty. In correspondence seen by The Irish Times, a member of the executive declined to organise a meeting to vote on the motion, calling it “invalid” on the basis of being too general. But after lawyers for Speare threatened High Court action, the council’s chief executive, Colm Ward, scheduled the meeting. In a letter to councillors, he wrote: “I am advised that this is a legally arguable case which the council would have very reasonable grounds for defence but I am reluctant, at this juncture, to engage in the costly, time consuming and avoidable exercise of participating in the High Court proceedings”. The successful motion to block the increase was held on Thursday afternoon at County Hall in Tallaght, where a protest against the proposed rent increase was organised by PBP. After the meeting Speare attributed the outcome to “a major people power campaign”.