A Welsh Socialist manifesto for housing

A growing housing crisis in Wales is leading to rising homelessness and overcrowding.

Tenants need lower rents and security. People should not have to pack up all their possessions and move every six or 12 months. For families it is even worse - children have their education disrupted by constantly changing schools. Secure tenancies with fair rents would allow people to stay in their homes so long as they paid the rent and did not damage the properties.

The Covid crisis showed that decisive action could be taken by the Welsh government and councils that could provide instant solutions. For example, why not re-introduce the scheme that housed the homeless during the lockdown and banned evictions and make them permanent?

• Re-introduce the scheme to house the homeless.
• Re-introduce fair rents – rent control that would put a ceiling on rents in each area through the return of rent tribunals.
• Secure tenancies for private tenants. No fault evictions must be made illegal.
• For a mass council house building programme on an environmentally sustainable basis, to provide good quality homes with affordable rents
• Support the Acorn manifesto.
• Nationalise the large housing companies, and take over empty properties.