Housing shortage hurting young people in Wales , says North Wales MS

North Wales Member of the Senedd (MS) and Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, Mark Isherwood, has voiced significant concerns regarding the shortage of affordable homes in Wales, especially in rural areas.

The issue, he argues, is preventing young people from stepping onto the housing ladder, whether as tenants or buyers.

During a recent session in the Senedd, Mr Isherwood highlighted findings from the Finance Committee, which stressed the need to prioritise the construction of affordable housing for young people.

This call to action echoes the conclusions of the 2008 Joseph Rowntree Foundation “Rural Housing in Wales” report, which identified a substantial unmet need for housing in these areas.

“The Finance Committee now has found that for young people, particularly in rural areas, to be able to live and work in their communities, greater priority needs to be given to creating sustainable jobs and building affordable housing,” Mr Isherwood stated.

He pointed out that little has changed since the 2008 report, which noted that housing affordability issues, rising homelessness, and limited social housing supply were more severe in rural Wales than in urban areas.

Mr Isherwood also referenced the Country Land and Business Association’s reopened Welsh Housing Survey, which revealed that 58% of private rented sector properties were let below market rent.

He criticised current Welsh Government policies for reducing the availability of rentable homes in rural areas, with many properties being sold off as second homes or holiday lets rather than affordable housing.

He questioned the effectiveness of the Welsh Government’s strategies, asking, “Other than commissioning a Rural Housing Action Guide, what cost-benefit analysis, if any, will the Welsh Government now undertake to establish what works, listening to statements by local businesses that Gwynedd Council’s plan to force people to get planning permission for second homes was penalising homeowners because not enough affordable homes have been built?”

In response, the First Minister deflected responsibility, stating, “It’s a question for Gwynedd Council – the powers are in their hands to make choices about the local housing market.”

Mr Isherwood discussed the Welsh Government’s spending priorities for the 2025-26 Budget.

He pointed out that there was no housing supply crisis when Labour first came to power in 1999, but since then, new affordable housing supply has plummeted by 71% in their initial terms. He emphasized the current shortfall, noting that only 2,825 new homes for social rent were completed in the first three years of this Senedd term, far below the Welsh Government’s five-year target of 20,000

. The latest National House Building Council figures showed a 43% drop in new homes registered in Wales, placing it at the bottom among the UK’s 12 nations and regions.

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru has called for increased investment in the Social Housing Grant to at least £407 million to address the housing crisis and rising homelessness levels.