Welsh government set to exceed 20,000 affordable homes target

Local authorities and housing associations have reported to the Welsh government that they expect to deliver a further 4,000 affordable housing units in 2020/21, however the government said these figures must be treated with caution as they have previously overestimated what has been delivered.

Over the current Senedd term, the Welsh government has invested over £2bn in housing, including £33m in the latest phase of its Innovative Housing Programme and more than £89m in the Social Housing Grant for 2020/21.

In December, the government agreed to spend over £200m on building new homes in 2021/22 as part of its latest Budget.

Welsh housing minister Julie James has previously said her party will commit to delivering 20,000 social homes over the next parliamentary term if re-elected in May this year.

On today’s figures, Ms James said: “I’m thrilled to say we will comfortably hit our affordable homes target this term.

“The increase in affordable housing is a direct result of our record investment in housing during this term.

“These are high-quality, energy-efficient, warm homes, which have been built to last and, really importantly, are also affordable to run.

“The past year has been challenging for everyone and it is fantastic to see that despite the pandemic and the impact it has had on house builders and registered social landlords, we have still been able to build much-needed affordable homes at pace and scale.

“Our own data tells us that we have hit and exceeded the 20,000 target.”

Joanna Davoile, director of development at Wales and West Housing, said: “Having a comfortable, safe and genuinely affordable home is more important than ever.

“Wales and West Housing is committed to helping the Welsh government meet its target of building 20,000 affordable homes by the end of the current Senedd term.

“We plan to build 2,500 homes over the next five years and have more than 900 new homes already under construction across Wales.

“These include modern, energy-efficient homes in many Welsh local authority areas, from Cardiff to Carmarthenshire, Conwy to Wrexham and across Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

“We are building a mixture of family homes, apartments, extra-care accommodation and specialist supported living accommodation to meet the needs of local communities.

“Our affordable housing developments will support the local construction economy in Wales and create communities where our residents will be able to thrive.”

Aaron Hill, head of policy and external affairs at Community Housing Cymru said: “We are delighted that these figures show we are on track to exceed the target of 20,000 new homes built during the current assembly term. Working together with Welsh Government and local authorities, housing associations in Wales have been key to delivering this target, and continue to deliver new homes, despite the ongoing pandemic.

"Ahead of this year’s election, we are calling on the next Welsh Government to make further commitments to affordable housing. We want to see a 5-year, £1.5bn investment programme for 20,000 new energy efficient social homes, and an ambitious programme to retrofit existing homes and support the recovery of Wales post Covid. Our homes have never been more important. Now is the time to work together to make it happen.”