09 October 2008
Housing crisis needs radical solutions, says WLGA
The current shortage of affordable housing across all tenures in Wales and the role of councils as housing providers is once more the hot topic of debate today during a housing debate at the WLGA Annual Conference in Llandudno.
Welsh housing leaders have unanimously agreed that radical and innovative thinking and urgent actions are needed to help people get through the current housing crisis.
Cllr Aled Roberts (Wrexham), WLGA Housing Spokesperson said:
“This is an uncertain time financially for our communities and the impact of the economy, particularly on housing, is deeply worrying. The Essex review throws a much needed spotlight on this issue and sets a clear direction for tackling the current housing problems in both the short and longer term. These are unusual times for councils and our solutions need to be more radical and more innovative than ever. We must increasingly look to on-going work that is happening across the rest of the UK and wider for solutions, for example English authorities have additional powers that can be used to tackle the crisis. We are keen to have discussions with Assembly Ministers’ about similar powers being available in Wales.”
“The WLGA is in on-going discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government and has put forward a number of suggestions. It has made a strong case that increased funding is needed now for affordable homes, either through more money being put into the current budget or bringing money forward from future years. However, we welcome the recent Mortgage Rescue Scheme which will go some way to help people at risk of repossession and to bring back into use the too many empty homes that exist across Wales. Local authorities have provided mortgages to people in the past, is there a role for authorities in re-establishing such schemes for people at risk of having their home repossessed?”
“During our Assembly Government discussions we will also be addressing the specific housing challenges facing rural areas. Rural communities have suffered from a lack of affordable housing for a number of years and this current crisis has only deepened the problem.”
“Every member of the public has the right to safe, secure and affordable housing. This affects your well-being and quality of life and with the financial and housing markets as they are, understandably people are feeling insecure about their futures. Local authorities play an important strategic role in identifying local housing need and are working with their housing partners to support communities through this extremely difficult time by ensuring the right types of homes are available to communities at the right time and in the right place.”
For more information contact: Natasha Weeks