Wales is Not for Sale rally to be held on coronation weekend

Welsh language campaigners will be holding a rally in Caernarfon to coincide with the coronation of King Charles.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith has confirmed that a “Nid yw Cymru ar Werth” (Wales is Not for Sale) rally will be held on the Maes in Caernarfon on Monday 8th May – which is the Bank Holiday weekend of the coronation.

Osian Jones on behalf of Cymdeithas said: “There will be clear contrast between the celebration of privilege and wealth in London that will be the crowning, and our rally in Caernarfon where we will pay attention to the crisis in our communities, a crisis that forces local people out for they cannot afford a home to rent or buy.

“I believe that hundreds, if not thousands, will come to the rally to demand that the Welsh Government introduce a Property Act to ensure that our houses are treated as social assets to provide homes and not as commercial assets to be exploited.

“We need to act for people who despair of having a home, and we need to take a stand for the future of our Welsh communities, before it’s too late.”

Promising

Describing recent moves by the Welsh Government to combat the impact of second homes and holiday homes in Welsh speaking areas as “promising”, Jeff Smith on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Sustainable Communities Group said more still needs to be done: “We are pleased that the pressure is coming to fruition and that Climate Change Minister Julie James announced last week a number of further practical steps to alleviate the situation.

“New proposals such as looking into enabling local authorities to provide mortgages to help people afford a home in their local area and flexibility in the Home Purchase Scheme are promising, but these are only measures to mitigate the effects of housing problems.

“The measures are not ambitious enough.

“The operation of the housing market, the vulnerable position of private tenants and the shortage of social housing is a problem throughout Wales.

“Instead of solutions that will only reduce the problem, we call on the Government to seize the opportunity to present in this parliamentary term a complete Property Act to control the market, empower our communities and give our people the right to a home locally.”

Cymdeithas will announce further details of the rally which will start on Y Maes in Caernarfon at 1pm, with live music from 11.30am on the event’s Facebook page.