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CIH Cymru outlines manifesto demands ahead of Welsh parliament election
Political parties in Wales must commit to giving everyone in the country the right to adequate housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru said as it laid out its manifesto-asks ahead of next year’s Welsh parliament elections.
The sector body is calling on all parties to commit to bringing forward legislation in the next Welsh parliamentary term to incorporate the right to adequate housing into law.
It also wants the future government to provide local authorities and their partners with the resources needed to realise that right.
Last year, CIH Cymru, charity Shelter Cymru and housing equality network Tai Pawb launched a campaign to make adequate housing a legally enforceable right in Welsh law, arguing that this would ensure housing policies focused most on those in need.
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CIH Cymru is also calling on political parties to create a workforce strategy for the housing sector.
This strategy should focus on diversity, growing career routes, nurturing expertise and robust data collection, CIH Cymru argued.
Demands are also being made on the next Welsh government to set up a ‘green partnership’ with the housing sector. This would include long-term funding for decarbonisation and ensuring the workforce has the expertise needed.
Meanwhile, parties should commit to tackling stigma in social housing – for example, by leading campaigns and highlighting the importance of social housing as a vital component of economic recovery for Wales, the manifesto said.
The next Senedd election is due to be held in May 2021.
Matt Dicks, national director of CIH Cymru, said: “Our manifesto is the result of an ongoing conversation with housing professionals working at all levels in the sector.
“We believe that our asks would make a tangible difference to how people access housing in Wales and their experiences thereafter.
“Our calls target action in a number of areas, including how we nurture the skills housing professionals need both now and in the future, how we accelerate towards becoming a greener, environmentally friendly sector and how we harness the support from the Welsh public to see meaningful progress in addressing the housing crisis over the course of the next Welsh parliament and beyond.”
