Feb

Welsh politicians clash over housing crisis as landlords exit

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Welsh politicians clash over housing crisis as landlords exit

A Welsh Conservative MS has slammed the Welsh government for legislation that has driven landlords out of the market and forced people into temporary accommodation.

During a Senedd debate on housing, Plaid Cymru MS Siân Gwenllian warned that Wales is facing a housing crisis, with many people stuck in temporary accommodation.

However, Welsh Conservative MS Janet Finch-Saunders raised the point that government legislation has forced landlords to leave the market, further deepening the crisis.

10,000 people trapped in temporary accommodation

Ms Gwenllian told the debate that Wales has seen a rise in homelessness and people stuck on social housing waiting lists.

She said: “Wales is in a housing crisis, and that crisis is deepening every day. The evidence is clear and consistent across the entire housing sector and the results can be seen on our streets and in our communities.

“Homelessness is still rising. Waiting lists for social housing are unacceptably long, numbering around 170,000 people at present. More than 13,000 people have sought homelessness support from local authorities in the last year alone.

“Last October, more than 10,000 people were trapped in temporary accommodation, including almost 3,000 children, many without access to cooking or laundry facilities, sometimes for months and even years.”

Private landlords exit the market

However, Ms Finch-Saunders argued government legislation pushing landlords out of the market has caused the housing crisis.

She said: “Would you accept some responsibility for this, when you’ve supported all the way through all of the new legislation that came in that has seen private landlords just exit the market? It is now costing, for somebody in a hotel, £100 a day per adult, £76 per child.

“If you work it out, for a mother and two children, that’s over £3,000. Those people could have actually been in a private rental for around £900 now, a month. Temporary accommodation spend has just gone up. Do you accept some responsibility for backing that legislation, which has seen so many people now seeking and living in temporary accommodation?”

More than 1,190 properties have been lost from the Welsh PRS

Ms Gwenllian claimed that Conservative policies have contributed to Wales’ housing crisis, such as right-to-buy.

She said: “The supply of social housing has been halved during this recent period, and that is because of an entirely intentional policy of the Tories, namely the right to buy policy. So, no, I don’t accept that the problem is as you characterise it; the problem rests with you.

“The reality is that the private rented sector is entirely unaffordable for many. Rents in Wales are rising at the fastest rate in Britain, while the local housing allowance continues to be frozen by the UK Labour government. The gap between what people receive and what they need is growing, and that is driving more and more people into poverty and homelessness.”

However, Ms Gwenllian failed to mention that, according to Welsh government data, since the last election, more than 1,190 properties have been lost from the Welsh private rented sector.

The Welsh Labour government has also come under scrutiny for introducing Rent Smart Wales, which requires landlords to register and license their properties.

You can watch a clip of the housing debate below

Plenary01_30_26_14_59_19(1)

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