Further action needs to sustain social housing momentum

The UK Housing Review 2022 (UKHR) highlights the stark challenges characterising the Welsh housing sector where the need to improve the environmental credentials of 230,000 homes, build 20,000 low carbon social homes whilst bringing forward transformational changes to building safety all combine at a time when the costs of building and improving homes is soaring.

Despite that, the UKHR reflects on a positive story of building social housing in Wales where a positive uptick in the final year of the last Senedd term saw almost 3,000 homes built. It notes the reframing of the target to be solely focussed on low-carbon social housing, demonstrating its level of importance to the housing sector in Wales more broadly.

Matthew Dicks  |  national director, CIH Cymru

The latest edition of the UK Housing Review lays bare the huge challenges that lie ahead as the sector seeks to build, improve and innovate. We strongly welcome the Welsh Government’s recent final budget for 2022-23 that provides a concrete funding basis for the sector. It is vital that in the face of these challenges that the Welsh Government works to firm up some important details of its updated programme for government. The role of Unnos could be pivotal in supporting the sector to meet the scale of the ambition, its shaping and progress should be solidified as soon as possible in collaboration with the sector.