Politics

Conservatives unveil housing pledges

Published

9 years ago

April 15, 2016

Whole-market approach to housing needed: Mark Isherwood AM

THE WELSH Conservative Party has announced a ‘radical’ new housing programme, which it is claimed could lead to 70,000 new properties being built in Wales over the next five years.

A party spokesperson described the plans as: “a whole-market approach which recognises the need for 70,000 new properties in Wales over an Assembly term, and the scrapping of stamp duty for first-time buyers on all properties up to the value of £250,000.”

The party says it will work with house builders, social landlords, Local Councils and the private rented sector to deliver the plan.

Shadow Housing Minister Mark Isherwood AM has said the Welsh Labour Government has ‘consistently failed to meet the challenges’ posed within the housing sector, and says all other political parties in Wales “have shown no foresight, ambition or desire” to do things differently.

As part of their commitments to tackle a ‘crisis in housing’, Welsh Conservatives unveiled an ambitious five-point plan to fuel responsible housing development in the right places, offer comprehensive support to firsttime buyers and cut housing waiting lists.

The plan includes:

Launching an ambitious programme of home-building; stimulating a wholemarket approach, recognising the need for 70,000 new properties for rent, lowcost home ownership and open market purchase over an Assembly term
Scrapping Stamp Duty for first time buyers on all properties up to the value of £250,000, and developing low-cost home-ownership schemes, including a ‘Starter Home Cymru’ initiative to deliver below market value properties for first time buyers Releasing capital to build new social housing; protecting the ‘Right to Buy’ for tenants wanting to buy their council home; restoring the full discount and reinvesting proceeds into new social housing – increasing the number of people homed; whilst offering Housing Associations the choice to provide ‘Right to Buy’ to tenants where this would help delivery of individual housing schemes
Reforming planning guidance to encourage building on brownfield and publicly-owned land, supporting a land for housing scheme, and developing a national register of contaminated land sites; whilst delivering a right to bid, allowing communities to bring forward community-led housing developments
Working with social housing landlords, protecting relevant funding and targeting need; linking new and renovated housing supply to sustainable community regeneration and public health needs
The plan’s publication comes as a new report is published outlining the extent of challenges faced by first-time buyers in Wales. Estate agents Hamptons found a single first-time buyer faces a nine-year wait to build up a deposit – emphasising the need for support with obstacles to house purchase, such as potentially prohibitive stamp duty costs.

It also follows the release of figures which show Wales is the only UK nation where housing developments fell from 2014 to 2015, emphasising the need to secure real change in Wales. Figures released by the National House Building Council in February showed that the UK averaged a 7% increase, but the figures in Wales fell by 2% – underlining Labour’s failure to meet the housing challenge.

Mr Isherwood AM said: “Housing is crucial to health, wellbeing and regeneration.

“Sadly, Wales faces a crisis in housing supply, affordability and support, which other political parties in Wales have shown no foresight, ambition or desire to deal with. Whilst progress has been made in other parts of the UK, Wales risks falling further behind.

“To secure real change in housing, the next Welsh Government must inspire a whole-market approach to developments, which recognises that Wales needs to be developing 70,000 new properties during an Assembly term – and to do so responsibly, and in the right places.

“People also need comprehensive support to get onto the housing ladder – and the scrapping of stamp duty for first-time buyers, as part of plans to make Wales the UK’s low-tax capital, would remove a major barrier to home ownership for many people.

“Labour, in Wales, has consistently failed to meet the challenges facing the housing sector and those in housing need.

“It is also vital new properties are built in the right places. From involving local communities in the planning process, to reforming guidance to encourage building on brownfield and publicly-owned land, Welsh Conservatives will responsibly meet the challenges facing the housing sector in Wales.”

News

Welsh Lib Dems welcome proposals to remove misbehaving politicians

Published

2 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that Welsh voters could replace misbehaving politicians.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds MS has voiced her support for a report that proposes the removal of Senedd members caught breaking the code of conduct.

The code of conduct sets out the standards of behaviour expected of an MS.

The report, from the Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee includes plans for a referendum style system where voters could decide if an MS who broke the rules should be removed.

Welcoming proposals to remove misbehaving politician’s, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS said that it would be “ a great move for Welsh democracy.”

“This proposal, which would greatly improve the voice of the electorate, will provide us with a platform to make real change.

We’ve already seen how similar measures introduced by Liberal Democrat’s across the UK and in Westminster have strengthened our democracy, Wales cannot be allowed to fall behind.

As a party we have been pushing for a reform of our political systems so we can bring power back into the hands of Welsh Voters.

The Welsh people deserve to have politicians who hold the best interests of their community to heart.

Wales is crying out for a change in the way things are being run, which is why more and more people are joining the Welsh Liberal Democrat’s to help make this change a reality.”

News

Community projects celebrate their UK Government funding successes

Published

18 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A CELEBRATION event brought together 25 community projects that have benefited from more than £1.3million in UK Shared Prosperity Funding in Pembrokeshire.

Pembrokeshire County Council facilitated the development programme for third sector organisations and social enterprises which covered three intervention areas across the County – capital projects, green infrastructure and social action.

The diverse range of projects including community facilities, youth projects, growing sites, environmental awareness action, pet therapy, museums and more.

Project leads came together at HaverHub, Haverfordwest on January 22^nd to celebrate and discuss the outcomes of their work, with the majority having exceeded targets with some breath-taking achievements highlighted.

Some key successes already evidenced include the improvement or creation of around 25,764m² of publicly accessible spaces, 934 community events or activities supported and 2228 volunteering opportunities created/ supported, with final reports still to be submitted.

SPF Communities Coordinator Heidi Holland said: “This network of organisations has strengthened and benefited from opportunities to come together, visit other projects, share good practice and willingness to develop collaborative approaches as a legacy moving forward to impact on future generations.”

Among those at the event were Cilrath Acre, Sandy Bear, Cleddau Project, Milford Haven Maritime and Heritage Museum, West Wales Rivers Trust, Point – Fishguard and Goodwick Youth Project and Menter Iaith Sir Benfro.

Cllr Paul Miller, Cabinet Member (SPF Lead), said: “It was great to see such a wide range of projects, from right across Pembrokeshire, who have benefited from the SPF Communities Funding. SPF funding will re-launch in April 2025 and we look forward to being able to support more organisations across the county delivering meaningful improvements in their communities.”

News

Henry Tufnell MP welcomes action to protect households from poor insulation

Published

19 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

HENRY TUFNELL MP has welcomed new government measures to address poor-quality insulation and energy efficiency installations under schemes such as ECO4.

The announcement introduces stronger consumer protections, following Henry’s consistent advocacy on behalf of his constituents and his recent interventions in the House of Commons.

The government’s measures include:

Stricter enforcement against non-compliant installers.
Enhanced support for homeowners to resolve complaints.
Mandatory compliance with TrustMark standards for all work under these schemes, ensuring adherence to the highest levels of quality through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
A strengthened complaints process via TrustMark to safeguard households and improve accountability.

Henry Tufnell MP has been a vocal advocate for addressing substandard insulation. Last month, he submitted two written parliamentary questions to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, highlighting constituents’ concerns and urging greater oversight.

Today, speaking in the House of Commons, Henry reiterated the importance of robust regulation, stating:

“I am so pleased that our new Labour government is taking immediate action on this issue. No one should have to deal with substandard installations or bear the cost of shoddy workmanship. I will work closely with the government to ensure that these measures deliver real change for affected households.”

Henry urged constituents experiencing issues with recent installations to visit the TrustMark website for guidance on lodging complaints: www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/support/complaints-process.