Welsh government commits to long-term housing strategy

The Welsh government has said it will go ahead and develop a long-term housing strategy following a “generally positive” response to proposals it published last autumn.

The White Paper on Adequate Housing, Fair Rents and Affordability was published on 24 October 2024 and the consultation exercise closed on 31 January 2025, having elicited 308 responses from stakeholders across the housing sector. 

In a 122-page report on the findings, respondents were found to have expressed “generally positive sentiments” and the Welsh government has committed to implementing its housing strategy drawing on feedback from the consultation.

The White Paper included proposals for a right to adequate housing including fair rents and new approaches to making homes affordable for those on local incomes.

It also sought to establish a framework for what constitutes adequate housing, drawn from criteria by the United Nations (security of tenure, affordability, habitability, accessibility, availability, location, and cultural adequacy) and subsequent indicators to monitor these aspects of housing policy.

The Welsh government’s proposals also focused on improving rent data collection and promoting transparency in the private rented sector, as well as addressing affordability and other issues faced by renters in the private rented sector.

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The main concerns raised by respondents were around affordability of rent, protections against eviction, housing quality, better data on conditions and sector-wide transparency. 

Alongside the written consultation, the Welsh government ran workshop events with tenants and landlords in-person and online to gather feedback.

The report states: ”Reflecting the view held widely among respondents that a long term housing strategy could help drive progress towards ensuring access to adequate housing for people across Wales, we are progressing work to develop our future Housing and Regeneration Strategy.”

Jayne Bryant,  cabinet secretary for housing and local government, said in a statement: “I would like to thank everybody who took the time to respond to the White Paper consultation, including members of our Stakeholder Advisory Group. I would also like to thank everybody who participated in the workshops or online sessions.

“Ensuring everyone in Wales has a decent, affordable and safe place to call home is a key ambition of this government. The responses to the consultation have informed the next steps on our journey towards achieving  housing adequacy for everyone in Wales and we will continue to work with stakeholders in taking forward these proposals.”