There should be more social homes available for people in Wales, according to a Senedd Committee report out today.
The Local Government and Housing Committee’s latest inquiry is calling for the creation of a national development corporation to speed up housebuilding by buying land and planning housing across Wales.
Increasing housebuilding
The Committee’s report finds that local authorities and housing associations will struggle to build the number of houses required and that the solution is a new development corporation that could work on much larger sites.
Evidence to the Committee showed that countries such as Denmark and Canada use development corporations and that Wales should aim to learn from these successful examples.
The Committee is calling on the Welsh Government to increase the amount spent on social housing to build 60,000 more homes, with the ultimate aim that 20% of Wales’ housing stock falls into this category, up from 16% today.
The report also says that the Development Bank of Wales should become a direct funder of social housing developments, potentially offering more favourable terms to those currently offered to social landlords by private investors.
The Development Bank of Wales is a body funded by the Welsh Government which finances businesses to help them grow in Wales.
One-bed waiting lists
Social housing, which is provided by local authorities and housing associations, has long waiting lists for people needing different types of accommodation. The Committee heard from tenants that the type of properties available are often not the sort needed.
Many of the properties available through social housing are two or three bedroomed homes, which are prioritised for families, meaning that people needing one-bedroom properties are stuck on waiting lists for longer.
Garry Roper, aged 47, lives in Cardiff. He waited 21 months for a one-bed property to become available. During that time, he lived in a YMCA hostel which made it difficult for him to see his son on a regular basis.
“I was living in the YMCA from November 2022 until end of August 2024. I was told that the reason for the long wait was because of the shortage of single adult properties.
“The main issue I had during that time was that it was difficult to see my son and spend time with him. He did visit me at the YMCA during the visiting hours allowed, but there were some issues with this. Living in a homelessness hostel was quite stressful at times.
“I’m really pleased that I have been offered my property and it is a lot easier than living in a hostel. I have had a lot of support from friends, family and from the Salvation Army Floating Support Team which has helped me to set up and manage my new home. I am able to see my son more regularly which has been great.”
The Committee is urging the Welsh Government to work with local authorities and housing associations to make sure that enough one-bedroom homes are being built to reduce the pressure on waiting lists.
Organisations such as the Planning Officers Society Wales and the Chartered Institute for Housing Cymru told the Committee that there is a “massive demand” for one-bedroom accommodation.
Today’s report by the Committee says that this should be addressed in different ways. Councils and housing associations should acquire existing one-bedroom properties, build on vacant land near housing developments, remodel bigger houses into smaller houses, and also bring flats above high street shops back into use.
Missed targets?
The Welsh Government has a longstanding target to build 20,000 new homes by 2026 to ease the housing crisis in Wales. The Committee supports this goal but is concerned that the target will not be met, and even if met, it will not be sufficient to address demand.
Earlier this year, Julie James MS, who was at the time the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, said that the government was “hanging on” to the 20,000 target “by the skin of our teeth”.
John Griffiths MS, Chair of the Local Government and Housing Committee, said, “Today’s report shows that the Welsh Government has a long way to go if they are to reach their target of 20,000 new homes by 2026.
“A crucial part of delivering this is ensuring that there is a suitable mix of homes being built which must include more one-bedroom properties. The Welsh Government must work with local authorities and housing associations to make sure that this message gets through.
“The Welsh Government needs to look at all the options at its disposal to tackle this problem. Empowering the Development Bank of Wales to become a direct funder of social housing developments is one way to boost the number of homes being built.
“If we want to get to grips with the housing crisis then we have to build more social housing urgently - before the waiting lists get even longer.”
