Social housing inquiry report uses our evidence

Bevan Foundation evidence influences Senedd Committee recommendations on social housing supply

The Local Government and Housing Committee’s recent inquiry report into social housing supply takes note of the Bevan Foundation’s evidence and references our belief that increasing the supply of social housing is key to addressing the housing crisis.  

As the Chair’s foreword reflects “increasing social housing supply has been particularly challenging in recent years” but the committee “heard evidence that despite the challenging environment, there are opportunities to do more.”

The report presents seventeen recommendations which reflect the wide-ranging areas which the inquiry considered. Perhaps most significant is the proposal that Welsh Government should aim for “social housing to comprise a critical mass of at least 20 per cent of the housing stock, and up to third in the longer term.” It currently stands at only 16%.

Key points referenced from the Bevan Foundation’s evidence include:

• our concerns about the consistency of local housing market assessments and the cost and resource implications of developing them at a local authority level. The report calls for improvements to housing need data collection and greater monitoring and evaluation in this area.
• greater transparency of the tenure of homes being delivered to meet the 20,000 target and the delivery of true social homes. The report cites the Bevan Foundation’s recent estimates that estimates that 83 per cent of the 5,775 homes delivered in the first two years of the target were for social rent.
• recognition of the concerns we heard from developers and housing associations that the planning system is “very complex, uncertain and costly”. The report directly quotes our findings that “the amount of money being spent just on the system and getting through it can be prohibitive, and housing associations have to walk away”. You could potentially “build at least one if not two properties” with the money spent on upfront costs. The committee recommended that Welsh Government analyses what is causing delays and barriers in the statutory consultee process.

Finally, the Committee report highlights the Bevan Foundation’s ongoing research with Housing Justice Cymru which aims to:

• increase understanding of why land supply is a significant barrier to the development of new social and community-led homes
• show the potential of land held by different types of social and public owners to enable development and identify action to release that potential.
• make recommendations for change including shifts in public policy, legislation, funding and practice.
• encourage the Welsh Government to recognise the benefits of the development of socially and publicly owned land for social and community-led housing and to adopt a more strategic approach.

We’ll be holding a virtual roundtable event in January to explore this further. The research report will be launched later in the New Year.