Welsh affordable housing target 'likely to double'

The Welsh Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have included the target in their manifestos ahead of next Thursday’s election, while Plaid Cymru is expected to support a similar target.

Achieving the target by 2021 would mean doubling the rate of affordable housebuilding in Wales, with just over 10,000 affordable homes started in the previous parliament.

It follows a cross-sector Homes for Wales campaign, which called on all parties to set an “ambitious target” for affordable housebuilding in the country.

Speaking at the Tai housing conference in Cardiff, Aaron Hill, public affairs manager at Community Housing Cymru (CHC), said: “The smart money is on a 20,000-home target for affordable homes being set after the election.”

Under current polling, Labour is likely to lose its bare majority in the Welsh Assembly at the elections, and will be required to form a coalition with Plaid Cymru or the Liberal Democrats.

Plaid Cymru has promised to require local authorities to adopt targets for affordable homes, and says it wants 10,000 more than the current target - which would mean 20,000 homes.  

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru are all also committed to ending the Right to Buy.

Also speaking at the Tai conference, Julie Nicholas, policy officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru, said legislation is expected early in the new parliament to bring this into effect.

In its manifesto, Labour also pledged to continue measures to bring empty homes back into use and continue with the Welsh version of Help to Buy.

Plaid Cymru has promised to create a new national housing company which will borrow against rents to build a new generation of public rental housing (see below).

The Conservative Party has set an overall target of 70,000 homes, and promised a voluntary Right to Buy for housing associations as in England, while the Liberal Democrats pledge a new rent-to-own model to allow social tenants to gain a stake in their new home.