Wales’ Housing Minister confirms ‘historic’ plans to incorporate Right to Adequate Housing into Welsh law

Stephen Price

Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Sian Gwenllian MS has confirmed the Welsh Government’s intention to incorporate the Right to Adequate Housing into Welsh law.

The plans to “introduce proposals to legislate for the Right to Adequate Housing” were announced in a statement  in the Senedd yesterday (Tuesday 9 June), and have been welcomed by campaign groups across Wales including Cymdeithas yr Iaith and The Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru.

The Minister also confirmed the establishment of Unnos, an arm’s-length agency intended to increase the pace and scale of social housing development. Unnos will be responsible for land assembly and speeding up planning consents, together with developing local and national supply chains.

There were also commitments to introduce rent controls and to legislate to ensure a community right to buy along with the government’s intentions to bring forward measures to ensure “fair rents”.

Sian Gwenllian MS’ oral statement shared: “A safe, warm, affordable home is something that everyone in Wales should have. Home is the foundation for our health and wellbeing, our connection to our communities and our ability to learn and to work. And yet for thousands of people across Wales, this most basic of needs is out of reach.

“At the very core of the housing crisis in Wales there is a shortage of homes. This leads to rising rents, makes owning a home unattainable and forces families to live in unsuitable homes or leave their communities. I am determined to speed up the process of increasing the supply of social homes over this Senedd term, which will tackle homelessness, keep people out of unsuitable temporary accommodation, make housing more affordable and give people greater choice over where they live.

“By working with local authorities and social landlords, we will support 20,000 new social homes by 2030, ensuring that they are high-quality and energy-efficient. I will work relentlessly with our social landlords and other key partners to deliver on this target.

“We will also establish Unnos, a new national development body that will be an enabler for the increase of social housing. Unnos will work in partnership with key partners to speed up the increase in the long term supply of new social homes.”

Rent control caution urged

This week’s announcement reflects the number one ask in the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru’s manifesto “A Plan for Housing in Wales”, which was published before May’s election, calling for legislation to incorporate a rights-based approach to housing.

CIH Cymru director Matt Dicks said: “It is a very positive step to hear the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning commit to legislating to incorporate the Right to Adequate Housing into Welsh law.

“CIH Cymru has been campaigning with partners Tai Pawb and Shelter Cymru since 2019 for this to happen – to embed providing a safe, sustainable and affordable place to call home into law as a foundation mission of government, transcending political cycles and targets – ensuring that this and future governments assign the right level of priority and investment to developing the homes we need to end our housing emergency.

“The creation of an arm’s-length development body – Unnos – is also something we asked for in our pre-election manifesto. Our hope is that this body will bring together all the component parts required: the innovators, the land, the planning capacity, the contractors, the social landlords, the supply chains – all together under one banner, in one facilitation space, to deliver the homes we need beyond political cycles and targets.

“However, CIH Cymru would urge caution when considering any form of rent controls.

“While it may offer short-term relief for tenants, there is a risk of unintended consequences – particularly reducing supply and distorting the market over time.

“Any intervention therefore needs to be carefully designed as part of a balanced, long-term approach that tackles the underlying drivers of unaffordability, including housing supply, investment, and market stability.

“Rent control should not be seen as a substitute for increasing the supply of homes, which remains the most effective way to improve affordability over the long term.

“This was a really positive statement from the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, and we look forward to working with her and her colleagues in Welsh government.”

“A historic day”

Welsh language campaign group, Cymdeithas yr Iaith also welcomed the commitment the Cabinet Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Jeff Smith, chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s sustainable communities group, said: “The people of Wales have been campaigning for decades, with campaigners at times being imprisoned as part of the campaign, to ensure appropriate homes in prosperous Welsh-speaking communities, so today is a historic day.

“We look forward to seeing the the government honouring its commitment to legislate for the right to a home and a community right to buy.

“We look forward to a meeting with the Minister soon, and we are confident that the policymaking work to inform the legislation will be a collaborative process.”

Smith added: “After such a long wait and such a long campaign, this is our opportunity to create a Property Act on our terms as the people of Wales: an Act that will reset the nature of our property system, ensure that the local housing market is no longer overwhelmed by the free market, and create a planning system that works from the ground up, meets local need and works to support the Welsh language.”

“During a rally on the fourth of July in Porthmadog calling on the government to “turn the tide” for the Welsh language, representatives from communities across Wales, including campaigners such as Enfys Llwyd, Sioned Elin and Helen Greenwood, will have a minute each to talk about why the government needs to take urgent action for their communities.”