In 2004, the Welsh Consumer Council stated “Unless house-building and renovation of existing homes is stepped up, Wales could face a housing crisis in coming years”.
Labour in Welsh Government dismissed this and delivered the lowest level of new homes since the Second World War.
A decade later, the Homes for All Cymru manifesto starts “there is a housing crisis with more than 90,000 households on waiting lists, the same figure that applied six years previously. Figures in England fell by 300,000 during that period.
As the 2012 UK Housing Review stated "it was the Welsh Government itself that gave housing lower priority in its overall budgets, so that by 2009/10 it had by far the lowest proportional level of housing expenditure of any of the four UK countries".
Although new UK home registrations rose 28% in 2013, Wales was the only part of the UK to see a fall.
Although new homes registered in Wales increased during 2014, this still lagged behind Scotland and all nine English regions.
. AND the latest figures for new home registrations again show Wales lagging Scotland and all 9 English regions, with England up 5%, but Wales down 14%.
I move amendment 1.
Professor Holman’s report for the Welsh Government estimates that Wales needs between up to 240,000 new housing units, 12,000 annually, between 2011 and 2031 –almost double those delivered in 2014-15
Last September’s Bevan Foundation report “the shape of Wales to Come” states “the Housing Task Force has forecast that in order to meet anticipated housing need between 2006 and 2028 there need to be 14,200 new homes created each year including 5,100 non-market homes. There is already a substantial shortfall between projected requirements and actual provision, with less than half the requirement being met. The biggest shortfall was in social housing”. And last June, Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru stated “Wales needs to build 15,000 homes per year if we’re to stand a chance of ending the housing crisis within a generation.”
I move amendment 4. We must give housing a home in Wales -recognising, as the European Commission has recommended “the need to implement a comprehensive housing reform programme to increase supply and therefore make housing more affordable”.
Two 2015 reports completed by NLP Planning for the house-building industry in Wales confirmed the link between market supply and housing market affordability, but the current level of housing delivery is only just over half of the identified housing need across Wales.
Working with the whole housing sector, Welsh Conservatives want to develop a whole market solution to the Welsh housing supply crisis in social rent, private rent, low cost home ownership and open market purchase – and launch an ambitious programme of home building.
As Community Housing Cymru’s 2012 local Government Election Manifesto "Are you serious about sustainable Communities?" stated, "linking regeneration to housing development can contribute significantly to the economic recovery of communities."
As we move forward with tackling poverty programmes for the next Assembly, this is therefore a conversation we need to be having with Housing Associations – asking them how we can deliver more by linking housing supply to sustainable community regeneration.
We must maximise the potential for Housing Associations, working with the wider housing sector to deliver housing that is affordable to local people.
As Community Housing Cymru told me “It's all about demonstrating what can be achieved together; Practical projects with 'appropriate' support from Government” - recycling and reusing money, targeting areas where market supply can’t meet need.
We must work with the private rented sector to drive up standards, drive out criminals, tackle homelessness – and we must give a voice to vulnerable tenants.
A Welsh Conservative Government will listen to home builders in order to support safety and energy efficiency without damaging investment in new housing supply.
Our proposals to reform the Right to Buy Council Homes would ensure the proceeds of sales were invested into new social housing, thereby increasing the number of households homed.
Welsh Conservatives will also drive “Low Cost Home Ownership Cymru”, enabling people in Wales to own their home – extending Help to Buy to properties in need of renovation, developing Starter Home and Rent to Buy initiatives, embracing shared ownership and mortgage guarantee schemes.
My 21 years working in the building society sector and my 12 years as a housing association voluntary board member taught me the important lesson that if Government is seeking to deliver programmes or legislation, it should work together with the housing sector.