- 31/07/2017
- Posted by: Mike Hedges MS
- Category: Press Releases
The Welsh Labour Government’s proposals to protect and increase the stock of social housing have moved forward after the National Assembly voted to agree the general principles of the Abolition of the Right to Buy and Associated Rights (Wales) Bill.
Mike Hedges said… ‘I welcome this news as I have met many people who have been on council house waiting lists for many years; the sale of council houses has reduced the number of council houses in Swansea by half. It is very positive that Swansea Council is again building council houses, but this is not going to offset the number of houses which may be lost through the right to buy scheme.
Abolition this right to buy will protect the existing council stock, and I look forward to the passing of the Bill.’
The Bill aims to protect the stock of social housing in Wales from further reduction, ensuring it is available to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for people who are unable to buy or rent a home of their own. It complements other actions being taken by the Welsh Labour Government to increase the supply of housing.
Between 1981 and 2016, over 139,000 local authority and housing association homes were sold under these schemes. This has resulted in people in housing need, many of whom are vulnerable, waiting longer to access a home they can afford.
Following the agreement of the general principles of the Bill, a consultation on the information document that will be issued to tenants has been launched. A series of tenant engagement events hosted by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service Cymru will form a key element of the consultation. The consultation will also focus on best practice for tenant engagement and will inform advice to be provided to social landlords on disseminating the information.
