NDM8479 Welsh Conservatives Debate - Housing supply
NDM8479 Welsh Conservatives Debate - Housing supply
NDM8479 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Regrets that despite Wales needing at
least 12,000 new homes every year, over the last decade the Welsh Government
has barely built half that number.
2. Recognises figures released from the
Office for National Statistics in 2023 that there are 103,000 truly vacant
unoccupied dwellings in Wales.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) establish a dedicated taskforce of planners
to tackle the backlog in the slowest performing councils, and create a planning
apprentice for every council;
b) support small developers in Wales to build
homes on land owned by the Welsh Government and local councils, with a focus on
meeting local housing needs; and
c) turn Wales’s empty properties back into
homes.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 Heledd
Fychan (South Wales Central)
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes:
a) that almost 90,000 households are on
social housing waiting lists at present; and
b) that 11,273 individuals were in temporary
accommodation, of which 3,403 were dependent children aged under 16 in October
2023.
2. Regrets:
a) that the Welsh Government has only
delivered 5,775 units since 2021, despite the target to deliver 20,000 new low
carbon homes for rent within the social sector during this government term; and
b) that over 139,000 social homes on rent had
been lost to the open market, by the time the Right to Buy was abolished in
Wales in 2019, contributing greatly to the current housing crisis.
3. Believes:
a) the solution to Wales’s housing crisis
lies in increasing the supply of affordable homes for medium- and low-income
households, for rent and for purchase; and
b) that securing a much higher rate of homes
in public and community ownership will also positively influence affordability
in the wider housing market.
4. Welcomes:
a) the Co-operation Agreement commitment to
publish a White Paper setting out proposals to establish a system of fair rents
and new approaches to make homes more affordable; and
b) radical reform for the future set out in
the White Paper on Ending Homelessness developed as part of the Co-operation
Agreement.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to rapidly
accelerate the construction of social housing in order to meet or exceed the
target to deliver 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent within the social
sector.
If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be
de-selected.
Amendment 2 Lesley
Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Acknowledges the challenges being faced by
the housing sector, which are impacting housing supply across the United
Kingdom.
2.Welcomes the action and investment being
made in housing by the Welsh Government.
3. Notes the Welsh Government’s ambitious
commitment to deliver 20,000 low carbon, social homes during this term of
Government.
4. Notes the Welsh Government’s commitment to Unnos, together with Plaid Cymru, to support our councils and social landlords to improve the supply of social and affordable housing, including bringing more empty homes back into use.
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Type: For information
First published: 16/02/2024