Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorweth has taken to the Senedd and put forward the first legislative changes of his Plaid Cymru government. Plaid Cymru ousted Labour in a historic election earlier this year, with the promise of change and a focus on affordable housing.
Plaid Cymru’s wider housing agenda was clear to see throughout the measures, which included developing a right to adequate housing, protections for private renters and a community right-to-buy scheme. The housing crisis has taken shape in Wales as much as England, with rising private rents, stagnating wages and an inadequate social housing stock resulting in a steep rise in homelessness and temporary accommodation (TA) use.
In relation to their commitment to legislating a right to adequate housing, ap Iorweth said: “Nobody should be forced to suffer the anxiety and unacceptable stigma which so often comes with having nowhere to call home.”
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The legislation also included a commitment to introduce a Community Right to Buy Scheme, which would allow local communities to flag important buildings and areas of land, with eligible community groups being given the first opportunity to buy them should they be put up for sale. The measures are intended to enhance a sense of community in Wales, and allow local people to protect and take ownership of important assets.
CIH Cymru director Matt Dicks said: “CIH Cymru welcomes the First Minister’s new legislative programme and its ambition to strengthen private tenants’ rights and improve housing outcomes across Wales. But if we are serious about ending our housing emergency and delivering adequate housing for all, we need a paradigm shift in how housing is prioritised and a whole-systems approach, with housing being made a foundational mission of government in this Senedd term and beyond.
“That’s why we will want to see significant movement on Plaid Cymru’s manifesto pledge to incorporate the Right to Adequate Housing into Welsh law during this Senedd term. Everything else, from fairer rents to stronger protections for tenants and investment in supply, should flow from that foundation. Any intervention in the private rented sector must be carefully targeted and proportionate, balancing stronger tenant protections with the need for a well-functioning private rented sector and a wider strategy to increase housing supply.
“Legislating for the right to adequate housing would provide the system-wide change Wales needs. It would help drive long-term action across political cycles and ensure that this and future generations can access a safe, suitable and affordable home. It is this that is the number one ask in our published programme of government.”
