Plaid Cymru calls for devolution of housing powers

Its election manifesto said that it also needed ‘a strong Plaid Cymru voice in Westminster on housing-related issues that are not devolved’.

Savage public finance reforms will squeeze the Welsh Assembly’s budget by about £2.8billion, it said, which will impact on public services.

‘With a hung parliament a real possibility, Plaid has never before been in such a strong position to defend Wales from these severe cuts,’ the manifesto stated.

It called for ‘changes to the way that social housing is financed so that Treasury rules on borrowing no longer stand in the way of local authorities that want to build and maintain new social housing.

‘We believe that housing associations and local authorities should work on a level playing field,’ it said.

The party also outlined the ‘huge impact’ that homes have on health, well-being and education. ‘Plaid Cymru believes that everybody should be able to obtain an affordable home of decent quality in the area where they want to live,’ it said.

Plaid Cymru will bring empty properties back into use and will effect an ‘immediate cut in VAT to 5 per cent on all home maintenance, repairs and improvements,’ as well as putting a moratorium on stamp duty to help first-time buyers.

Other pledges included a maximum wage linked with the minimum one to reduce ‘the massive pay gap which has grown even further out of control under Labour in Westminster’.

It also stated that it wants a ‘living pension’, starting with increases for the vulnerable over-80s, and reformation of the banking industry.

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