Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that everyone has the right to adequate housing for the health and well-being of themselves and their family. We will only make this a reality if we increase the supply of affordable housing. Welsh Liberal Democrat-led councils have ensured that more affordable homes are available across Wales.
Every area has different housing needs. We want to give local councils more freedom to deliver so that they can build homes in accordance with local needs and with local support. The needs of rural communities are very different from urban communities.
We want local councils to have greater powers to restore homes that have fallen into disrepair. We want a Wales-wide Empty Homes Strategy to bring old homes back into use. This will include changing the rules so that it is as easy to renovate old houses as it is to build new ones and streamlining the process where local councils can purchase empty homes. We want councils to have greater powers to require affordable homes to be built as part of new housing developments - building on their existing abilities. In Cardiff, we have announced plans to build 350 new council houses; with greater powers, this figure could be higher.
It is increasingly difficult for young people to get on the housing ladder as the credit crunch has made it hard to get a mortgage without having a large deposit. We have already delivered or supported Mortgage Guarantee Schemes to help young people secure first home deposits in Cardiff, Conwy, Ceredigion and Powys. Welsh Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly are pushing for a Wales-wide scheme to help young people pay for a deposit on their houses.
Housing rights need to be available to everyone, regardless of what sort of home they live in. That is why we have proposed a law in the National Assembly to improve the rights of people living in Park Homes. We've also been working to increase the quality of student housing so that students' homes are safe and that the surrounding areas are more pleasant.
Our approach will create more affordable homes.
