HomeNewsLatest News‘Legislation to protect social housing in Wales will help to ensure safe, secure and affordable homes for people in the Cynon Valley’ says Cynon AM

‘Legislation to protect social housing in Wales will help to ensure safe, secure and affordable homes for people in the Cynon Valley’ says Cynon AM

  • March 17, 2017
  • Posted by: Vikki Howells MS
  • Category: Latest News
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Vikki Howells AM has welcomed proposed legislation to end the Right to Buy in the Cynon Valley and across Wales.

The Bill aims to protect the Welsh stock of social housing from further reduction, ensuring available housing for people who are unable to take advantage of the housing market to buy or rent a home.

The Right to Buy and Right to Acquire initiatives, which were introduced by the Tories, have resulted in the loss of over 138,000 homes from the social housing sector.

This approach has further increased the pressure on our social housing supply and has forced many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home.

The Bill will provide for the Right to Buy, the Preserved Right to Buy and the Right to Acquire for tenants of local authorities and registered social landlords to be abolished after a period of at least one year following Royal Assent.

Vikki Howells said:

“The loss of such a significant amount of social housing has led to real problems in this community.  This is an important announcement and, moreover, one that was endorsed by voters in Wales during last year’s Assembly election.

“For every 20 social housing properties in existence in 1981, nine have since been sold off, and whilst the right to buy did help many families onto the housing ladder, the policy was not introduced in a sustainable way. We are facing the social consequences of this today, so I welcome Welsh Government’s action.

“Constituents often come to me saying they have been waiting for social housing for many years. The security of tenancy that social housing brings is vital to families, especially when they have school age children, so it is crucial we protect the stock we have and protect the stock we are building.

“The Welsh Labour Government are also supporting home ownership setting an ambitious target of creating 20,000 affordable homes in this Assembly term and the Help to Buy and Rent to Own schemes enable people on modest incomes to own their own homes.

“I am proud that the Welsh Labour Government is moving to protect social housing in Cynon Valley.”

ENDS