Current allocation rules based on need and eligibility reinforced
Senedd Cymru has voted against a motion proposed by Reform UK to end access to social housing and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for “foreign nationals”.
The policy has been the topic of heated debate since it was publicly announced by Nigel Farage in June this year. He said a Reform UK government would ban all foreign nationals from social housing, with existing tenants given three months to leave or face deportation.
Speaking at a Senedd debate yesterday, cabinet minister for housing Sian Gwenllian asked members to reject the “inhumane” motion and support an amendment reinforcing the status quo of current allocation rules by which homes are allocated by local authorities based on eligibility and need.
She said: “The solution is to increase the supply of social housing, prevent homelessness, uphold standards and support local authorities, not to divide communities or to pit groups of people against each other. The queue for social housing is too long, but don’t create unnecessary division.”
She added that allocations are based on legal frameworks and emphasised that social housing is not allocated to people seeking asylum.
She also pointed out that “only a small minority” of HMOs are used to house asylum seekers, with the majority used for “students, young professionals and others who need housing”.
Of the Senedd members, 31 voted in favour of the proposal and 57 against.
Over the summer, the Conservative Party in England also said it would end social housing tenancies for non-EU foreign nationals.
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