SPÖ versus ÖVP

Housing dispute: standstill or record investment?

Housing remains a source of conflict in provincial politics.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Housing is a fundamental need for every citizen of the country. So it's no wonder that every party wants to put a feather in its cap in this area. In Lower Austria, the SPÖ and ÖVP are engaged in a particularly fierce duel - with completely opposing points of view.  

The SPÖ has been sensing a crisis in housing construction in Lower Austria for months. "Black-Blue is cutting social housing to death", rages red MP Christian Samwald. He is calling for rapid investment in this area.

More money than ever before
The ÖVP counters that there is always more. "Last year, we provided 841 million euros in funding for subsidized housing," calculates Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister, the state councillor responsible. This means that more money has been made available for this sector than ever before, she says, rejecting criticism from the Social Democrats.

Thousands of apartments under construction
691 million euros had been approved for the creation and renovation of housing across the country, while a further 150 million euros had been invested in financial support such as housing subsidies, housing grants or interest subsidies for house builders. "In the previous year, the construction and renovation of 10,000 residential units was approved. Around 4,000 homes are currently under construction across the country," Teschl-Hofmeister sums up. In addition, 1050 single-family homes were subsidized.