Contact me ...   

T: 01686 625527 / 02920 898342

E: mick.bates@wales.gov.uk

Mick Bates

Press Releases 2007

Click here to send us your views!

Local councils should have free rein/more freedom to decide how to make housing affordable for local people, Welsh Liberal Democrat Social Justice spokesperson Mick Bates said today.

Ahead of today’s Assembly debate on affordable housing, Mick said: “I want local communities to have as much power as possible to ensure they have enough affordable housing in their area. The housing crisis has hit all parts of Wales. People are being priced out of their communities and homelessness has increased massively. This is a long-term problem which will not go away easily.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have proposed long-term solutions to these problems, including making it easier for councils to stop the sale of properties as second homes. If they chose, councils could require second-home buyers to apply for planning permission because the home would not be occupied full-time.

“We expect to see this power being used in places such as Ceredigion, where because of the large proportion of holiday homes in some communities, local services such as schools and shops have to close.

“We will also give councils the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. To promote the supply of affordable rented housing, we would expect this to happen initially in areas where the affordable housing crisis is at its worst, and for a specified period of time. Where councils are reluctant to do this, we would encourage the withdrawal of discounts on the Right-to-buy to allow local authorities to impose local occupancy conditions on sales.”