www.cih.org/cymru

Welsh Assembly Elections 2011: A CIH Cymru briefing on the party manifestos

April 2011

Introduction This briefing sets out the main policies in the election manifestos of the four main political

parties in Wales that are relevant to the housing and communities sector. It is part of CIH

Cymru’s service to help the sector keep up to date with housing issues in the run up to the

Welsh Assembly Government elections on 5th

May 2011. The election will mark the introduction

of new powers which will allow the Welsh Assembly Government to legislate over all housing

matters for the first time.

This briefing also assesses the extent to which the ideas included in the Housing Pact Cymru are

reflected in the party manifestos. Housing Pact Cymru was a two-way ask and offer of

Government developed in partnership with the housing sector through a wide consultation

process. For more information see www.cih.org/cymru

Quick Links

Manifesto overviews

• Conservative

• Labour

• Liberal Democrat

• Plaid Cymru

Key housing commitments

• Conservative

• Labour

• Liberal Democrat

• Plaid Cymru

CIH Cymru commentary and analysis

A Welsh approach

Meeting housing need

• Affordable housing

• Empty homes

• Rural housing

• The private rented sector

• Standards

Raising the bar

• The quality of social housing

• The quality of private housing

• The quality of services to tenants

Putting people first

• Tackling homelessness / housing advice

• Supporting People

• Meeting the needs of older people

The housing advantage

• Health and housing

• Housing and the economy

• Housing and the environment

Housing Pact Cymru: Manifesto Summary Table

Manifesto Overviews

Conservative

The Conservative election pledges are set out in their manifesto A new voice for Wales and centre on

boosting enterprise and employment, improving healthcare and raising standards in schools. Criticising

Labour’s record on the economy, the manifesto promises to increase the size of the private sector in Wales,

aiming for Welsh wealth to be 85% of the UK average by 2020. They set out a range of ways in which the ‘big

society’ concept will be rolled out in Wales, devolving power to local communities and giving them a greater

say in local decisions, including giving Town and Community Councils a greater say in the planning process.

The manifesto also sets out a strong focus on using the law-making powers won by March's referendum

through eleven different Bills including an Enterprise Bill to foster the private sector and a Public Health

Improvement Bill that would create a health screening service.

Conservative election pledges

• Protect the NHS budget for four years

• Invest in education to give teachers, parents and governors a greater say

• An armed forces' card with benefits such as free bus travel and NHS priority care

• Scrap business rates for all small businesses

• Protect flood plains with new 'blue belts' to prevent irresponsible development

• Eliminate child poverty by 2020

• Protect free bus passes and free prescriptions for older people

• Promote the Welsh language with a new charter mark for businesses that encourage its use

The full Conservative manifesto can be accessed here

Manifesto Overviews

Labour

The Welsh Labour manifesto Standing up for Wales sets out the detailed actions that the party would deliver

during the next Assembly term. The manifesto places a strong focus on growing the Welsh economy and

delivering sustainable jobs, recognising the role that regeneration and sustainable procurement can have in

this, and committing to role out the i2i Can-do Toolkit across public service providers. Housing does not

feature in their five top election pledges, which concentrate on tackling youth unemployment, improving

access to GPs, more frontline spending in schools, funding Police Community Support Officers and better

health visiting, nursery places and support to families through the ‘Flying Start’ programme. The manifesto

focuses on Labour’s record in Government as a platform for further change, including their action on child

poverty, the environment and fuel poverty, but says that the overarching priority over the next Assembly

term will be on delivery. They criticise what they call the ‘damaging and savage policies of the UK Tory

Government’ under which they say Wales is being treated unfairly.

The full Labour manifesto can be accessed here

Labour’s five key pledges

• More apprenticeships and training opportunities for young people

• Access to GP surgeries in the evenings and Saturdays

• More funding for schools.

• An extra 500 Police Community Support Officers

• Double the number of children benefiting from free childcare and health visiting

Manifesto Overviews

Liberal Democrat

In Wales can do better the Welsh Liberal Democrats suggest that this election is the most important election

since devolution. Their manifesto focuses on delivering value for money and rooting out waste and giving

more power to local people. Their five election priorities are based around these principles, and do include a

number of references to housing. They focus on making better use of our money through up-skilling

unemployed young people and rooting out waste, and prioritising education by giving more money to

schools and investing in training and development for teachers. Other policy areas in their priorities are

health and the environment where they promise to cut waiting times and improve choice in social care and

to overhaul the energy efficiency of an extra 12,000 homes. Finally, they state their ambition to put local

people in charge by freeing councils from bureaucracy and enacting a new law to give communities more

power over local decisions, including housing. The manifesto sets out what savings would be made in order

to fund their commitments which include plans to scrap the subsidy for “Ieuan Air” (Wales’ North South air

link) and to merge environmental bodies. The Liberal Democrats also commit to making targeted

recruitment and training standard in all Welsh Government contracts.

The full Liberal Democrat manifesto can be accessed here

Manifesto Overviews

Plaid Cymru

The Plaid Cymru manifesto takes the mantra ‘Ambition is critical’ as its guiding principle. A Manifesto for a

Better Wales sets out a vision which they say is based on ambition, respect and collaborative responsibility.

Again, housing is not reflected in their four election pledges which concentrate on education (making sure

that children leave school with minimum standards of literacy and numeracy) economic recovery (through a

Build4Wales scheme Small Business Bonus) health (being able to see a Doctor or Dentist when you need one)

but also on the digital agenda (mobile phone, broadband and transport links to better connect Wales). Plaid

Cymru is critical of Labour despite the previous four-year coalition, blaming it for a ‘culture of excuses’ and

saying it lacks ambition. The UK Government’s current welfare reform proposals are described as ‘the most

savage cuts in public services since the 1930’s’ which will target the more vulnerable people with ‘punitive

action for those unable to meet unrealistic Government demands’.

The full Plaid Cymru manifesto can be accessed here

Plaid’s four key pledges

• Make sure children leave primary school able to read, write and count to the expected standard

• Help small businesses to grow, create jobs and help people train for long-term employment

• Quick and effective healthcare

• Connect Wales with better mobile signals, wifi and broadband coverage, and a modern transport

system

Key Housing Commitments

Conservative

Housing is included under the ‘Social Justice’ section along with a range of other policy areas such as

fuel poverty, financial inclusion, substance misuse, and supporting carers. There are only eight housing

commitments, less than all the other parties, but along with Plaid are the only other party to set a

target for new affordable homes (10,000). They are also the only political party to commit to protecting

the Right to Buy in Wales. The housing commitments are as follows:

• Set a target to build at least 10,000 more affordable homes by 2015

• Relate the definition of affordable housing to local price / income ratios

• Examine the case for moving the Deputy Minister for Housing to the Department for Health and

Social Services

• Create a single tenure for all Social Housing tenants

• Publish an affordable homes strategy which will also tackle the problem of empty homes

• Fully protect the Right to Buy in Wales

• Encourage housing stock transfer as a means to improve the quality of social housing, empower

tenants and deliver Sustainable Community Regeneration

• Focus the home insulation scheme on older, harder to insulate homes

There are a number of other housing commitments contained within other sections of the manifesto.

These include:

• A more enterprised focused planning policy which includes the release of more land for

affordable housing (in the ‘Rural Wales’ section)

• A public health improvement bill which would place a new duty on public agencies to collaborate

and pool resources to secure public health outcomes, to include housing (under the legislative

programme)

Labour

The Labour manifesto dedicates a separate chapter to housing which begins by acknowledging the role

that housing plays in health, wellbeing, education and general life chances. As well as measures to

deliver new housing and improve quality across sectors, Labour highlights the role that housing

investment can play in other areas and also includes a range of measures aimed at involving and

engaging people in housing decision making.

Delivering new housing

• Make public land available for housing

• Increase the supply of new affordable homes through Social Housing Grant together with

accessing innovative forms of finance such the Welsh Housing Partnership and housing bonds

• Introduce a new Empty Properties initiative in partnership with local authorities

• Support local authorities who wish to build new homes for rent and encourage innovation

through Community Land Trusts and other new ways of providing land and funding

• Ensure that Local Development Plans and planning policy at a local level helps address the

shortfall in homes

• Introduce a new Flexible Tenure initiative that will allow people to move between renting, home

ownership and shared ownership as their life circumstances change

Improving housing quality

• Secure a further £1.2 billion to deliver the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for all council and

housing association tenants across Wales.

• Support the development of interest-free Property Appreciation Loans to allow low income

homeowners to borrow to improve their properties

• Work with councils and landlords to improve housing standards and tenants rights in the Private

Rented Sector

• Invest a further £50 million in the ARBED programme to increase the energy performance of our

existing homes and help combat fuel poverty

Getting added value out of housing investment

• Ensure that housing investment delivers a minimum of 2,000 additional jobs and training through

the i2i Can Do Toolkit and work across Assembly Government departments to embed this

imaginative flexible approach to procurement in other investment programmes

• Use WQHS investment to maximise its impact on local and community economic development

through imaginative procurement to promote skills development and employability

Engaging and involving people

• Promote Mutual Ownership of housing, including consideration of the ‘New Foundations’ model

• Work with social landlords to ensure they are more accountable to their tenants and local

communities

• Support Tenant Participation services.

• Build on the ten-year Homelessness Plan and continue to invest in vulnerable people

Liberal Democrat

The Liberal Democrats link housing and regeneration in their manifesto under the ‘better use of our

money’ theme. They give a particular focus to the issue of empty homes and to helping first time

buyers have a stronger focus than most of the parties on tackling the green agenda in relation to the

existing stock. The range of the housing commitments are based around the three areas of affordable

housing, access to housing and the environment.

Affordable Housing

• Bring empty homes back in to use through;

♦ a Wales-wide Empty Homes Programme;

♦ allowing use of the Social Housing Grant to turn empty properties into homes for

rent.

♦ empowering councils to increase council tax for owners of empty properties; and

♦ increasing the powers available to councils to return empty properties to use,

including streamlining Empty Dwellings Management Orders

• Bring more private money into housing by working with the housing associations to restart the

Welsh Housing Investment Trust

• Protect any new social rented housing from being sold under the Right-to-Buy scheme for a

minimum of twenty five years in areas where this is needed

• Set a minimum level of affordable housing in any new development if the market supports this

measure, by strengthening local authorities to use planning agreements to do this

Fairer access to housing

• Changing the way in which second homes are categorised in the planning system so that

communities and councils can control the number of second homes

• A key workers scheme using both HomeBuy and Low Cost Ownership schemes to help those on

low incomes get onto the housing ladder

• Reforming housing tenure so that people who move from Council houses to social housing do not

lose out.

• Promoting the development of Community Land Trusts (non-profit, community-based

organisations that provide housing to increase sustainable and affordable developments)

• Providing additional rights to owners of park homes, especially those who are seeking to sell their

home

The environment

This is covered under a separate section on ‘energy’ in the Liberal Democrat manifesto and sets out a

range of measures aimed at reducing carbon use and increasing renewal energy. The key promises for

housing include:

• Ensure people who are fuel poor or living off-gas are the focus of Welsh Government fuel poverty

programmes

• Deliver an additional 12,000 warmer homes by doubling the money available for tackling fuel

poverty

• Remove the requirements for planning permission for small scale micro-generation in private

homes

• Provide support and advice for community energy schemes by setting up a Community Energy

Wales organisation

Plaid Cymru

Housing and communities are also given a distinct chapter in the Plaid Cymru manifesto, which makes

direct links between housing and health the economy and the environment. After meeting the 6500

affordable homes target during the last Assembly term, they have set the same target for the next four

years. Plaid is the only party to specifically mention rural housing through committing to maintain the

network of rural housing enablers. They also specifically mention housing-related support and commit

to protecting the Supporting People budget.

Delivering new housing

• Create at least 6,500 new affordable homes in Wales over the next Assembly term

• Introduce more intermediate housing including a Rent Now – Buy Later scheme

• Support low cost home ownership, including through the Homebuy scheme

• Bring new sources of finance to invest in affordable housing, working with financial institutions

and housing providers

• Challenge the UK Government to end the unfair council housing finance system

• Implement a new Regulatory Framework for Housing Associations, taking a risk based and

outcome focused approach to regulation.

• Introduce a revised-rent benchmarking regime which protects standards, is transparent and

robust, and ensures fairer rents.

• Bring empty properties back into use through a balance of incentives and disincentives, including

allowing local authorities to charge up to 200% council tax on second homes and empty

properties and introducing repayable grants to finance their redevelopment.

• Maintain the network of rural housing enablers

Improving housing quality

• Ensure housing providers maintain the Welsh Housing Quality Standards and identify where

further improvements can be made

• Increase the capacity of the private rented sector by working to tackle poor landlords and

encourage best practice. Legislate to introduce compulsory written tenancy terms

• Regulate the management of Park Homes

• Allow Park Homes to play their role in increasing the supply of affordable homes

Meeting the needs of vulnerable people

• Protect the Supporting People budget and implement the conclusions of the independent

Aylward review

• Support older people to stay independent in their homes through the Extra Care schemes, Care

and Repair programmes and the Rapid Response Adaptations programme

• Maximize the use of telecare in our housing policies to improve safety in the home for our

disabled and elderly people so that they can retain as much independence as possible

• Ensure that national independent consumer and advocacy services are answerable to the

National Assembly for Wales

CIH Cymru commentary and analysis

This section provides a more detailed analysis of the manifesto commitments, comparing the policies

of the four parties under a range of different themes. We have structured the analysis around the five

themes of CIH Cymru’s Housing Pact Cymru and have therefore also endeavoured to assess what

impact our lobbying has had in the development of the manifestos. Following the analysis we have

included a summary table showing which housing pact commitments are included in the each of the

manifestos, either as a relevant reference or a specific commitment.

A Welsh approach

In the Housing Pact, we called on the Welsh Assembly Government to use its powers to underpin policy

making that meets the specific needs and challenges faced here and develop solutions that are

relevant to the Welsh context. One specific ask under this broad heading was for the new Government

to make appropriate use of its new legislative capability; in particular to develop a social housing

tenancy so that social housing tenants can expect the same rights and responsibilities regardless of

who their landlord is and we are therefore pleased to see this commitment included in both the

Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos.

We also asked that the new Government take a distinctive approach to the welfare reform agenda,

which directs resources in to mitigating the impact on the most vulnerable. It will come of no surprise

that both the Labour party and Plaid Cymru are highly critical of the UK Government’s welfare reform

proposals and that both commit to measures to mitigate the impacts here in Wales, whilst any

reference to Welfare Reform is notably absent from the other two manifestos.

There are a number of other Housing Pact ‘asks’ under this heading which are not covered by any of

the other manifestos, including a commitment to making the Housing and Regeneration portfolio a full

Ministerial portfolio and increasing strategic capacity within the Assembly. This gives us a platform on

which to concentrate our lobbying efforts in the run up to the election in recognition that some of our

asks may be more longer term objectives.

Meeting housing need

Affordable Housing

A focus on delivering more affordable homes is, unsurprisingly, prevalent in all four party manifestos,

with a universal acknowledgement of the need to develop new funding and investment opportunities

in order to achieve this. The Liberal Democrats promise to restart the Welsh Housing Investment Trust

and to set a minimum level of affordable housing on new developments. Labour promises to make

housing a higher priority over the coming decade, and to use SHG, innovative finance, better use of the

planning system and public land to do this. The Conservatives promise to publish an affordable homes

strategy – along the lines of the affordable housing delivery plan that CIH Cymru has been calling for.

They also promise to fully protect the Right to Buy in Wales which would result in an about-turn of the

One Wales approach to the Right to Buy, with powers gained under the LCO allowing local authorities

to suspend the Right to Buy in areas of housing pressure - a measure which has been overwhelmingly

supported by CIH Cymru and the rest of the housing sector.

Only two of the parties set an affordable housing target for the next Assembly term, with Plaid Cymru

re-setting their 6,500 figure from the previous administration and the Conservative party setting an

ambitious target of 10,000. During the One Wales Coalition, the 6,500 target was criticised for being

arbitrary and not based in evidence – it will therefore be interesting to find out more details over how

both these figures were developed. Either way, in the current climate it is safe to say that delivering

these numbers will require a significant effort from the whole housing sector. Overall, there is a

general party consensus on the need for more affordable homes and the tools needed to make this

happen (innovative investment, using public sector land etc) – the challenge will be delivering this

during an economic downturn.

In our Housing Pact, CIH Cymru set out what we would do to help support the sector to deliver more

affordable housing, including capturing and sharing good practice on affordable housing delivery and

developing and delivering a comprehensive cross sector and joint professional training and

development programme to ensure that the sector has the right knowledge, skills and tools to meet

housing need. We are committed to working with the new Government to help engage all partners in

brokering a whole system approach to delivering additional homes.

Empty homes

Another issue over which there is a degree of party consensus is the need to bring additional empty

homes back in to use. This is strongly welcomed by CIH Cymru as this has been a policy priority for us

for a number of years. (See our joint briefing with Shelter Cymru on this issue here). Labour promises

a New Empty Property Initiative and the Conservatives will tackle Empty Homes as part of their

affordable housing strategy. Both Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats will seek to use additional

council tax as a disincentive to owners of empty homes and to use other incentives and enforcements

to address this issue.

CIH Cymru has been calling for the next Government to implement the recommendations of the

Communities and Culture report in to the PRS, one of which was the establishment of a national

sustainable empty property fund which can be accessed by the housing sector to help bring empty

properties back in to use. Given the cross party focus on this issue, we are hopeful that this will be a

Government priority over the next Assembly term.

Rural housing

Rural housing is only specifically mentioned by one party with Plaid Cymru committing to maintain the

network of rural housing enablers (another Housing Pact Cymru ask). However, Labour and the Liberal

Democrats both include distinct sections on rural issues more generally, with reference to housing as a

distinct rural challenge. CIH Cymru has worked hard to highlight the particular challenges of rural

housing – see our Action on Rural Housing publication here and Key Information on Rural

Homelessness here and will continue to raise this issue up the agenda with the incoming Government.

The Private Rented Sector

Whilst a number of the manifestos refer to the Private Rented Sector, this in the context of improving

quality and security rather than as a strategic mechanism for meeting housing need. The Conservatives

do not refer to the Private Rented Sector at all, reflecting the wider UK party approach to this sector,

which is to leave the current system alone without any state intervention.

The other parties’ approaches to improving standards are covered in ‘Raising the Bar’ below.

Standards

A notable absence from all four manifestos is the lack of recognition about the balance that needs to

be struck between housing standards and delivering good quality new homes at the volume that Wales

requires. These issues are dealt with separately in the manifestos, most probably because this is an

issue that is currently in the ‘too difficult’ box with no easy answers. Nevertheless, it is CIH Cymru’s

view that we need to embark on an honest and reasonable conversation with the sector about a

sustainable balance of standards and supply, and as part of our offer to the next Government we will

work to broker and facilitate this dialogue with the relevant partners.

Raising the bar

Quality of social housing

The quality of Wales’ housing stock is another common manifesto theme although the approach to

improving quality varyies considerably across the various parties. Both Labour and Plaid promise to

implement WHQS across the social housing sector, with Plaid being the only group to consider where

the standard might go next. The Conservatives state that they will ‘encourage housing stock transfer as

a means to improve the quality of social housing’, which is interestingly the only reference to stock

transfer in all four manifestos. The Liberal Democrats do not specifically mention the quality of social

housing and their only reference to housing quality more generally is in relation to the green agenda

(see below). Only one party, Plaid Cymru, refers to the funding arrangements for council housing,

promising to challenge the UK Government to end the current system which sees £80 million of

tenants’ rent paid over to the Treasury every year.

The Housing Pact Cymru calls for the next Welsh Government to fully implement the Welsh Housing

Quality Standard across the social housing domain and in partnership with the housing sector to

consider a successor standard that is cross sectoral. It also calls for the next Government to ensure a

sustainable future for local authority finance so that tenants have access to excellent quality homes

and services. We strongly believe that tenants of social housing should be entitled to a minimum

quality regardless of who their landlord is and that Wales should be aspirational in its aims for the

quality of private sector homes. We will work hard to make this case in the run up to the elections and

with the incoming Assembly Government.

Quality of private sector housing

CIH Cymru endorsed the recent Communities and Culture Committee’s report on the Private Rented

Sector (accessible here) which included a number of recommendations aimed at improving quality and

standards. Whilst none of the manifestos directly relate to this cross-party report, there are a number

of individual recommendations that can be identified. Labour and Plaid Cymru for example both place

a high priority on improving the quality of homes in the private sector. Both manifestos include a

commitment to improve standards in the private rented sector with Labour and Plaid promising to

tackle poor landlords and encourage best practice in this sector.

For private home owners, both Labour and Plaid the Liberal Democrats promise to increase quality

through a national loan scheme, Labour’s targeted at low income homeowners, Liberal Democrat’s as

a tool for independence in social care, and Plaid’s with a focus on financing domestic energy efficiency

and renewable energy measures to enable households in Wales to retrofit their homes. The green

agenda is the main theme of the Liberal Democrat’s approach to housing quality, with a commitment

to delivering an additional 12,000 warmer homes by doubling the money available for tackling fuel

poverty and removing the requirements for planning permission for small scale micro-generation in

private homes. The Conservative Party says it will ‘focus the home insulation scheme on older, harder

to insulate homes.’

Quality of services to tenants

‘Raising the Bar’ is not just about the physical quality of the housing stock but about the services that

are provided to tenants and the models of engagement and accountability that are in place. The

Labour manifesto has probably the greatest focus on this particular policy area, promising to promote

mutual ownership of housing, work with social landlords to ensure they are more accountable to their

tenants and to support Tenant Participation services, all of which is strongly welcomed by CIH Cymru.

The Conservatives state that stock transfer will be used as a tool to ‘empower’ tenants.

Under this category, a number of the parties state their intention to use their new law making powers -

the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to reform social housing tenure and Plaid Cymru to introduce

compulsory written tenancy terms to improve for tenants in private rented accommodation. Labour

also commits to improving tenants rights in the Private Rented Sector.

A policy area that has been a significant focus of our policy work has been the new regulatory

framework; specifically making it tenant-led and lobbying for domain regulation across the social

housing sector. Plaid Cymru is the only manifesto that refers to regulation and does so from the

perspective of it being a tool to encourage lenders to invest in affordable housing in Wales. This is

somewhat disappointing, but CIH Cymru will continue to promote the role of regulation in driving

sector led improvement for tenants and to lobby for all social housing tenants to be brought within the

same regulatory framework.

Putting people first

CIH Cymru believes that the new Government should put individuals at the heart of housing policy

making in order to give them housing choices which empower them to lead fulfilling lives, regardless of

their individual needs or circumstances. This section considers the extent to which this approach has

been adopted within the various manifestos.

Tackling Homelessness / Housing advice

The latest national statistics show that the impact of the economic downturn is starting to play out in

the worst possible way; homelessness is on the increase and more families are being accommodated in

Bed and Breakfast accommodation. What then are the various parties saying about their approach to

homelessness over the next four years at a time when it is likely to become a serious issue for Gov-

ernment to address?

Labour states that it will build its ten year homelessness plan and continue to invest in vulnerable

people to avert homelessness. It also promises that it will take forward a range of projects to tackle

homelessness, including Bond Boards, and will seek to ensure best practice is spread across Wales.

Plaid says that it will take a prevention approach to homelessness, and thus focuses its interventions

on independent advice and advocacy as well as financial and debt advice.

Neither the Liberal Democrat or Conservative manifestos make any reference to the problem of

Homelessness or how they might tackle it.

Supporting People

Housing related support is another policy issue which is currently high on the agenda following the

independent review undertaken by Prof Sir Mansel Aylward. The need for support and homelessness

services has never been greater due to our ageing population, a rise in the number of people with

learning disabilities and the economic situation. Research has shown that the human cost of an

economic downturn is more family breakdown, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol problems, mental

ill-health and, ultimately, homelessness. When we add the highest level of youth unemployment we’ve

ever seen and the fact that personal debt is predicted to rise to unprecedented levels, it seems obvious

that support services which help people to find or keep their home should be central to government

policy. As the cuts to the Supporting People budget in Westminster continue to hit the media, what are

Welsh politicians saying about this agenda?

Supporting People is given a priority by both Labour and Plaid Cymru. Labour promises to invest £170

million a year in providing support to 50,000 of the most vulnerable people in society to help them find

a home. Plaid Cymru also commits to protecting the Supporting People budget, and to implementing

the conclusions of the Aylward review, including revising current funding streams, adopting a

collaborative approach to administering the Programme Grant and ring-fencing. There are indirect

links to supporting vulnerable people in the Liberal Democrat manifesto who set out what they will do

to ‘protect the most vulnerable’ including those struggling with finances, those suffering from domestic

abuse and vulnerable children, but no direct reference to housing related support specifically. Similarly,

the Conservatives set out how they will ‘protect the most vulnerable’ including disabled people and

ethnic minorities but do not make any links to housing in relation to this.

Meeting the housing needs of older people

The Housing Pact Cymru highlighted the housing needs of older people as a policy priority for the next

Assembly Government. It called for a range of programmes to enable older people to live

independently, an integrated approach to advice for older people and recognition that housing quality

and suitability is central to health and social care provision to older people.

The Labour manifesto acknowledges the specific housing needs of older people but does not go further

than this to outline how it is going to do this. Plaid Cymru provide more detail in this area, committing

to Extra Care, Care and Repair schemes, Rapid Response programmes, and telecare as tools to support

people to stay independent. The Liberal Democrats make the links with social care in their

commitment to establishing a Welsh Home Improvement Lending Agency with charitable status to

facilitate equity release loans to enable home owners, in conjunction with care and repair agencies, to

access capital to carry out adaptations and repairs to their home. They also want to promote ‘extra

care’ again seeing this as a social care issue rather than a housing one. The Conservatives state that

they will ensure that as many older people as possible are supported to live independently in their own

homes but do not outline any housing policies that will help to facilitate this.

The housing advantage

The final Housing Pact Cymru theme relates to the added value that housing can deliver in other policy

areas. We want the next Government to make housing a priority because of the capability it has to

drive progress in health, education, social, economic and environmental programmes. This section

considers the extent to which this approach is reflected in the party manifestos through an analysis of

the links that are made between housing and some other key policy areas.

Taking an overview of all four manifestos there is a degree of recognition of the wider role of housing,

for example, in delivering economic regeneration and in supporting hospital discharge. What is lacking

is a clear and consistent message about the role of housing across all policy areas from all political

parties One of CIH Cymru’s core functions is to get this message across, both with Government and in

the wider public sphere. As part of our Housing Pact Cymru offer, we will up our efforts in this area to

ensure that we use all mechanisms at our disposal to make the case for housing.

Health and housing

The link between good health and good housing has long been established. CIH Cymru has consistently

argued for this to be followed through to better joint working and more importantly, the allocation of

joint budgets, an ask that is reflected in the Housing Pact. In the past, quantifying the impact of health

outcomes due to housing investment has been difficult however some recent studies have made a

compelling case for a spend to save approach in this area – Carmarthenshire County Council have

evaluated the impact of their WHQS spend and shown that tenants who live in homes that have been

improved are three times less likely to suffer mental health problems, 20% less likely to suffer from

respiratory infections and much less likely to visit their GPS regularly. (See here for a full copy of the

report).

In the party manifestos there are some good cross references to housing and health, for example the

Liberal Democrats, say that they will recognise the important role of good housing and combine

different public sector budgets to achieve the greatest effect. The Conservatives, through their Public

Heath Improvement Bill will place a new duty on public agencies to collaborate and pool resources to

secure public health outcomes (to include health, social services, housing, education, and leisure

services). Labour states that a warm and secure home is essential to health and wellbeing and Plaid

acknowledges that raising the standard of our housing can improve the health of our citizens, but

neither follow this up with any direct actions.

The economy

Housing’s role in delivering economic recovery cannot be understated, and this is an area in which

Wales is currently leading the way. The significant investment that is being generated as a result of the

Welsh Housing Quality Standard improvement programme has meant housing in Wales has bucked the

economic trend. Through the i2i programme and Can do Toolkit, housing organisations in Wales are

helping to deliver significant employment and training opportunities to some of the most

disadvantaged communities in Wales. (See http://www.whq.org.uk/i2i/).

CIH Cymru has called for the next Government to recognise and build on some of these achievements

over the coming years, to maintain the momentum that is currently in place. We think that policy areas

outside of housing can learn from this sector’s achievement and have therefore called for the Can do

Toolkit to be promoted across all areas of Government spend. We were delighted to see this

commitment included in the Labour Party manifesto, which commits to working across departments to

embed this approach to procurement in other investment programmes. We are similarly pleased to

see the Liberal Democrats make targeted recruitment and training standard in all Welsh Government

contracts. Plaid recognises that investing in housing can boost the local economy, but apart from this

there is a disappointing lack of recognition in the other manifestos about the role of housing-led

regeneration, especially given the great successes that have been made in this area over the last four

years and the huge potential that still remains.

CIH Cymru will make the promotion of this message a key priority going forward. We will help the

housing sector to share learning and good practice in relation to obtaining added value from

housing-led regeneration, and up-skill housing professionals in how to promote employment to people

who are furthest from the labour market and tackle worklessness in the communities where they

provide homes and services. We will ensure that the housing sector is equipped with the appropriate

knowledge and skills to use procurement as a vehicle to deliver wider regeneration benefits, in

particular job and training opportunities.

The environment

Another issue over which there is a degree of party consensus is the role of housing in tackling the

green agenda, in particular through improvement to the existing stock. Both Plaid and Labour commit

to take forward the Arbed programme with Plaid targeting their aforementioned loan scheme towards

energy efficiency measures. Addressing fuel poverty is a recurring theme in all manifestos although the

Liberal Democrats arguably make the closest links between housing and the environment, dedicating a

whole section and series of measures for tackling the Welsh housing stock in their chapter on ‘A Better

Environment’.

Housing Pact Cymru: Manifesto Summary Table

� Relevant reference

�� Specific commitment

Housing Pact Cymru ‘ask’

Manifesto Commitment

Con Lab LD PC Theme 1: A Welsh Approach We want the Welsh Assembly Government to use its powers to underpin policy making that meets the specific housing

needs and challenges faced in Wales. We want Government to seek housing solutions which are appropriate to the

particular context here so that Wales can lead the way in innovation and excellence across the UK.

Make the Housing and Regeneration Ministerial portfolio a full cabinet posi-

tion

�

Take an open and transparent approach to policy making which builds on the

co-production approach and ensures the full engagement and involvement of

all stakeholders

Produce a clear statement of intent regarding the future approach to social

housing in Wales which is informed by the views of the housing sector and ten-

ants

Use its legislative capability to develop a single social housing tenancy so that

social housing tenants can expect the same rights and responsibilities regard-

less of who their landlord is

�� ��

Undertake a distinct approach to the welfare reform agenda which directs re-

sources into mitigating the impact on the most vulnerable

�� ��

Invest in strategic capacity within the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure

that it has the right skills and expertise at a strategic level, including the capac-

ity to undertake high quality housing research

Theme 2: Meeting Housing Need We want the Welsh Assembly Government to work with the housing sector to deliver more affordable high quality

homes in Wales. We want them to remodel a more flexible housing system in future and to take a truly cross tenure

approach to housing that as well as delivering new and innovative models also makes the best possible use of our ex-

isting stock.

Develop a cross sectoral national housing delivery plan as a cornerstone of the

programme for the next four years

�� � � �

Ensure that national housing policy includes a focus on market housing

� �

Take a flexible and open minded approach to the delivery of new housing and

recognise that Wales has different housing need and supply issues

�� �� �� ��

Implement the recommendations of the Communities and Culture report in to

the PRS, including establishing a national sustainable empty property fund

which can be accessed by the housing sector to help bring empty properties

back in to use

�� �� �� ��

Embark on an honest and reasonable conversation with the sector about a

sustainable balance between housing standards and delivering good quality

new homes at the volume that Wales requires

Maintain support for the rural housing enabler network and ensure that the

specific challenges of developing housing in a rural context are reflected in na-

tional policy and guidance

� � ��

Lead by example through releasing public sector land for affordable housing in

areas where housing is most needed

�� �� ��

Recognise the key role of the Private Rented Sector as a tool for meeting hous-

ing need and establish a dedicated strategic programme to lead this

� ��

Invest in a cross professional skills programme in housing, planning, community

development and regeneration

Use the new legislative capacity to increase the quality of properties and man-

agement of the PRS, including the regulation of letting agencies

� ��

Support and implement a sustainable national loan scheme to help increase

the quality of homes in the private sector

� �� �� ��

Fully implement the WHQS programme across the social housing sector

� �� ��

Consider a WHQS successor standard in partnership with tenants and landlords

and set an aspiration for WHQS to be a cross sectoral standard

�

Improve the evidence base around the quality of the housing stock in Wales

Engage and empower tenants through the new regulatory framework and en-

sure that regulation expects the same standards of all social landlords

� �

Ensure a sustainable future for local authority finance so that tenants have

access to excellent quality homes and services

��

Urgently review the approach to homelessness in Wales to ensure universal

access to help and support for anyone in housing need

� �

Invest sufficient resources for independent housing advice services which are

part of a holistic response to include education, jobs and training and financial

inclusion

��

Work across sectors to ensure good quality and sustainable housing-related

support services

�� ��

Support a range of programmes which enable older vulnerable home owners

to live independently in their own homes alongside an integrated approach to

the provision of information and advice to older people

� � � ��

Recognise and promote the role that housing plays in developing sustainable

communities

� � � �

Support the housing sector to lead the way in new and innovative approaches

to social inclusion, including digital, financial and green skills agendas.

Provide leadership in making the case that that housing quality and suitability

is central to health and social care provision to older people

Theme 5: The Housing Advantage We want the Welsh Assembly Government to recognise that housing has the demonstrative capability to strategically

deliver, drive and determine progress on a wider range of policy areas, and in light of this put housing at the centre of

health, education, economic, social and environmental programmes

Provide strategic leadership within the Welsh Assembly to ensure that other

policy areas recognise the role and contribution that housing can make, and to

follow this through to the allocation of resources or joint budgets

� � � �

Ensure that housing led regeneration is not just social housing led but a core

part of the strategic housing enabling role

Place a greater emphasis on joint working between health and housing in rec-

ognition of the key role that housing can play in delivering health outcomes

� � � �

Follow this through to the allocation of joint health and housing budget and

preventative ‘spend to save’ programmes

�� �

Support increased retrofit, building on the Arbed programme to prioritise re-

furbishment and modernisation and minimise the carbon footprint of existing

homes

� �� � ��

Promote the Can do Toolkit approach both within the housing sector and be-

yond

�� �