Almost 140,000 people in Wales are on social housing waiting lists and more than 11,000 are stuck in temporary homes, the Senedd has heard. Conservative shadow housing secretary Mark Isherwood accused the Welsh Government of slashing funding since 1999, ignoring warnings, and setting a supply crisis in motion. He said the number of new homes completed by social landlords in Wales fell from an average of more than 2,600 a year to 785 between 1997 and 2010.
Mr. Isherwood, who chairs the Senedd’s public accounts committee, said Welsh ministers set only one housing target this term – to build 20,000 low-carbon social homes by 2026. “Only 3,120 new homes were completed in Wales by social landlords in the first three years of this Senedd term, well short of the 20,000 Welsh Government target,” he expressed. Accusing the Welsh Government of moving the goalposts by including some other types of houses in the total counted towards the target, Mr. Isherwood referenced an Audit Wales report, stating the target will be missed by up to 4,140 homes.
Plaid Cymru’s Arfon MS Siân Gwenllian declared that Wales is in the midst of a housing crisis with the use of temporary homes at a record high. “At the end of May, there were 11,384 people in temporary accommodation, a third of whom were children under the age of 16,” she highlighted. Most were located in bed-and-breakfast accommodation or hotels, living in completely unsuitable conditions. Ms. Gwenllian mentioned Bevan Foundation research that revealed only 30% were successfully moved to permanent homes in 2023-24 and warned of recruitment and retention problems within the sector.
Labour’s Swansea East MS Mike Hedges called for more cooperatively-owned houses and for properties empty for more than five years to be compulsorily purchased by councils at the current value. He also suggested allowing councils to borrow against the value of new-build housing. Janet Finch-Saunders warned that spending on temporary accommodation has “ballooned,” raising concerns about the conditions people are forced to endure. Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams highlighted the Welsh Refugee Council’s warning that asylum seekers, once granted permission to stay, have only 28 days to leave accommodation.
In a statement on October 1, Jayne Bryant, the Wales’ housing secretary, allocated more than £1.4 billion to housing supply since the start of the Senedd term in 2021. A new affordable homes task force is set to be established, along with a fund to support transitions from temporary housing. Ms. Bryant acknowledged the challenges in building new homes swiftly and accepted all the recommendations from the Audit Wales report. She emphasised that planning will play a pivotal role in addressing the housing crisis.
The ongoing housing challenges in Wales have spurred debate and calls for action from various political quarters, highlighting the urgent need for addressing the housing shortage and improving living conditions for vulnerable individuals and families across the country.