Saturday, March 05, 2016
Is housing in crisis?
I was not able to attend yesterday's rally to raise the profile of housing in the Welsh Assembly campaign but, along with other party spokespersons I did send a video message.
As the Western Mail reports hundreds of people marched from the Senedd to the Hayes in Cardiff City centre to demand more is done to tackle Wales’ housing crisis by whoever forms an administration after May’s election. They have the support of a host of high-profile supporters including Hollywood star Michael Sheen, entertainer Max Boyce and comedian Rhod Gilbert.
Organisers have pointed to a 16% rise in house prices since 2008 as evidence of the growing problem within the housing sector, and said more than 5,000 households were accepted as homeless last year. These are just the sort of statistics I regularly highlight in the Assembly.
The Holmans report recommended over 12,000 new homes should be built each year of which 5,200 should be in the social sector. The current Welsh Labour government have built just 10,000 in the last five years. That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats are commiting to double that number between 2016 and 2021 so that our ambitions might come some way towards meeting the demand we have identified.
Building new homes is a very effective way of dealing with this housing crisis.
As the Western Mail reports hundreds of people marched from the Senedd to the Hayes in Cardiff City centre to demand more is done to tackle Wales’ housing crisis by whoever forms an administration after May’s election. They have the support of a host of high-profile supporters including Hollywood star Michael Sheen, entertainer Max Boyce and comedian Rhod Gilbert.
Organisers have pointed to a 16% rise in house prices since 2008 as evidence of the growing problem within the housing sector, and said more than 5,000 households were accepted as homeless last year. These are just the sort of statistics I regularly highlight in the Assembly.
The Holmans report recommended over 12,000 new homes should be built each year of which 5,200 should be in the social sector. The current Welsh Labour government have built just 10,000 in the last five years. That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats are commiting to double that number between 2016 and 2021 so that our ambitions might come some way towards meeting the demand we have identified.
Building new homes is a very effective way of dealing with this housing crisis.
