THERE have been for rent controls to be introduced in Northern Ireland by an umbrella group involving more than 80 non-governmental organisations.
The Equality Coalition has also called for authorities to increase the rates of properties owned by the better off.
The recommendations are made in a report produced after the `Austerity and Inequality: A Threat to Peace?' conference was held in Belfast in October.
The Equality Coalition, which has been convened by the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and Unison, is made up of dozens of groups including the Law Centre NI and children’s charity Barnardos.
Dozens of speakers including Daniel Holder from CAJ, Patricia McKeown from Unison and former Mid Ulster MP Bernadette McAliskey took part in the conference.
The conference report, which was published yesterday in Belfast, raised a number of key points and claimed that while austerity cuts are "London-imposed, the Northern Ireland Executive have some powers to make policy choices that can mitigate its impacts".
These include increasing rates and introducing rent controls.
Recent proposals to introduce rent controls in the Republic in a bid to cap soaring rental costs have divided opinion there.
Mr Holder, who helped organise the event said: "Although austerity is London-driven there are policy choices Stormont can make.
"The Equality Coalition agreed on the back of the conference that just one such choice would be to introduce rent controls.
"This would both alleviate the cost pressures on low income families, and by reducing public money going to landlords is an alternative way of reducing the social security bill, without putting all the burden onto those who can least afford it."
