Housing would be a core focus for a Plaid Government

Siân Gwenllian MS

Two reports once more draw attention to the growing housing crisis facing Wales and the need for urgent action.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales published a report on April 11 on how housing and homelessness affects children and young people and illustrates the stark realities of life in completely unsuitable temporary accommodation.

Shelter Cymru is due to launch a report with new alarming statistics on the growing numbers of people and children who are currently on waiting lists for social homes.

Let’s hope the reports provide the Welsh Government with a renewed focus on the lack of adequate housing – but I am not holding my breath.

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Vision

Ensuring that every person and every family has a warm, suitable home is central to Plaid Cymru’s vision of a fair and equal society.

Housing is not just about shelter – it is a fundamental pillar of health, well-being, and opportunity. A secure home provides stability, improves health outcomes, and enables children to succeed in education, ultimately shaping a better future for individuals and communities alike.

Yet, the reality in Wales today tells a different story. Too many people are homeless, too many are priced out of their own communities, and too many struggle with unaffordable rents.

Meanwhile, others exploit the housing system, accumulating multiple properties while local people are left without options. This is a stark symbol of the deep inequalities in modern Wales.

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Crisis

Despite the scale of the crisis, housing is not a priority for the Welsh Government. Just 4.9% of the entire government budget is allocated to housing. There is no vision, no strategy, and the action taken so far has been woefully inadequate.

A Plaid Cymru government would change this. Housing would be a core focus – not just as a matter of social justice, but as a key part of the public health agenda and a crucial step toward reducing inequality.

We believe that housing is a fundamental right. That’s why we support enshrining the right to a home in Welsh law. What could be more basic, more essential, than the right to a secure, affordable place to live? But enshrining this right in law is just the start – we must also take real, decisive action to make it a reality.

The real transformation lies in increasing the supply of social housing. A Plaid Cymru government would make this a priority from day one in May 2026

There is no doubt that Right to Buy has been a key driver of the housing crisis we face today. The promise that sold homes would be replaced was broken, and the result is plain to see:

• Hundreds of thousands on social housing waiting lists in Wales.
• Thousands are living in overcrowded or unsuitable accommodation.
• Young people are sofa-surfing, sleeping in cars, or relying on temporary shelters.
• 11,000 people are stuck in "temporary" accommodation—often for years.
• 3,000 Welsh children are sleeping in hotel rooms or the like.

Homelessness has reached record levels, and frontline organisations working to support those affected are stretched to their limits.

But it does not have to be this way. Wales has the power to turn this crisis around.

Social housing

The most effective, permanent solution to the housing crisis is to increase the supply of high-quality social housing.

We need strategic policies, long-term planning, and the political will to act. Plaid Cymru offers a real alternative. We will use innovative funding models, tackle inefficiencies in the planning system, and unlock land for development.

The scale of transformation needed is immense.

Now is the time for action and to begin a housing revolution in Wales that puts people, communities, and fairness at its heart.