Assembly Committee calls for more action on affordable housing

23 April 2012

A new report from a National Assembly for Wales committee is calling for more action from the Welsh Government on the provision of affordable housing.

An inquiry by the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee found an overarching need for a ‘whole-system’ approach to housing in Wales.

Evidence submitted by housing groups, tenants’ associations and builders demonstrated a need for leadership from the Welsh Government which, in turn, admitted the world had changed since the publication of its own national housing strategy in 2010.

The Committee recommends that the strategy be reexamined to ensure it is fit for purpose and also calls for targets on overall house building numbers to be established, with more effort applied to develop land with planning permission for affordable homes already in place.

“The Committee recognises that the Welsh Government intends to address some of our concerns in the forthcoming Housing Bill which will be put forward during this Assembly,” said Ann Jones AM, Chair of the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee.

“Our hope is that the findings of this inquiry and the recommendations we have made contribute towards shaping that Bill.

“The barriers hampering the provision of affordable homes in Wales are complex and require the input and co-operation of, among others, governments in Wales and Westminster, local authorities, agencies and construction firms.

“But with clear leadership from the Welsh Government in particular, we believe that these barriers can be overcome.”