Housing debates have centred on the Plaid Cymru Government's target of 20,000 new social homes by 2030, its plans to legislate on private renting, and building safety for leaseholders. Members also pressed ministers on homelessness, planning reform and the 182-day threshold for holiday lets. A Reform UK motion on nationality and social housing drew sharp exchanges.
The main arguments
Siân Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru) said a shortage of homes is at the core of the crisis and set out plans for 20,000 new social homes. Peter Fox (Welsh Conservatives) asked why this would succeed when the previous target was missed. Contributions: [1]
May 2021Mar 2026
2,238 contributions in the Sixth Senedd touched on this. The busiest month was Jun 2024, with 310.
Who raises it
Labour66%
Conservative19%
Plaid14%
Lib Dem1%
Independent0%
Share of the 1,381 contributions on this subject, by the speaker's party.
Huw Thomas (Welsh Labour) asked whether social housing grant will rise with construction inflation. Dan Thomas (Reform UK) said delivery needs radical planning reform and ministerial intervention where councils do not deliver. Contributions: [1][2]
Siân Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru) said she is looking at fair rent models used elsewhere, such as Scotland, and tougher enforcement against poor landlords. Anthony Slaughter (Wales Green Party) called for an end to no-fault evictions and a rent freeze. Contributions: [1][2]
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru) said regulations giving leaseholders remediation orders will go to consultation. Francesca O'Brien (Reform UK) said only four of 161 developer-responsible buildings were fully remediated. Huw Thomas (Welsh Labour) asked how companies will be held to account. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Siân Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru) launched a consultation on a new national development framework. Tom Montgomery (Reform UK) said the timeline is slow. Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) said the national conversation must not delay action on planning. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Francesca O'Brien (Reform UK) moved a motion to restrict social housing and HMOs for foreign nationals. Siân Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru), Jayne Bryant (Welsh Labour) and Anthony Slaughter (Wales Green Party) opposed it. Peter Fox (Welsh Conservatives) backed a narrower amendment. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) and Paul Marr (Reform UK) argued the 182-day threshold harms tourism businesses. Anna Nicholl (Plaid Cymru) welcomed the commitment to keep it under review, and Shav Taj (Welsh Labour) also backed review. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Where the parties stand
Welsh Conservatives
Questioned whether 20,000 social homes can be delivered, and asked for a review of land transaction tax for first-time buyers. Called for section 106 reform, a moratorium on large solar and wind on farmland, and a lower 182-day threshold. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Welsh Labour
Pressed the Government on social housing grant, building safety accountability and the future of Leasing Scheme Wales. Supported keeping the 182-day threshold under review, and Mike Hedges called for action on Airbnb and co-operative housing. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5][6]
Plaid Cymru
As the Government, set out 20,000 social homes by 2030, legislation on private renting and the right to adequate housing, and a consultation on the national development framework. Said a safe, warm home is a basic prerequisite for a healthy life. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Reform UK
Argued for radical planning reform, data on nationality in social housing, and priority for British nationals. Questioned the cost and supply impact of the building safety regime and the pace of remediation. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Wales Green Party
Called for an end to no-fault evictions, a rent freeze and a new housing strategy with a plan to end homelessness. Said tenants face damp, mouldy homes and unaffordable rents. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Welsh Liberal Democrats
Focused on homelessness among children and care leavers, and on getting rough sleepers into homes this winter. Contributions: [1][2]
What the government is being pressed on
1Can 20,000 social homes be delivered by 2030? Peter Fox asked what makes ministers sure. The First Minister cited £474 million this year and £20 million more in the supplementary budget, and Siân Gwenllian said she is focused on supply. Contributions: [1][2][3]
2When will no-fault evictions end and rents be limited? Anthony Slaughter asked for pace. Ministers said legislation will come this term, covering fair rents, enforcement and tenant protections, with Scotland's models under study. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
3How will developers be held to account on building safety? Huw Thomas and Kiera Marshall asked. Ministers said regulations will go to consultation, Siân Gwenllian met developers and will report progress, and a grant for interim alarms was announced. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
4Will the 182-day holiday let threshold change? Paul Davies asked for the minimum viable threshold and the evidence behind it. Anna Nicholl cited a ministerial commitment to keep it under review and to introduce exemptions where practical. Contributions: [1][2][3]
5Will planning requirements such as section 106 be reviewed? Peter Fox asked. Siân Gwenllian pointed to the national development framework consultation and a call for evidence, and invited his ideas on section 106. Contributions: [1][2]
What the public is asking for
Petitions ask for faster council powers against illegal dumping and unauthorised development (1,612 signatures), urgent safe housing for high-risk abuse survivors (185), a right for 20-year council tenants to buy (66) and guidance letting social tenants garden for nature (47). All remain open.
Who ministers are meeting
Ministers have met housing sector bodies such as Community Housing Cymru, the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru and Cymorth Cymru, as well as Shelter Cymru's tenant panel and landlord groups (Propertymark, NRLA). They also met developers delivering building safety remediation, and the Tenant Farmers Association.
In the Sixth Senedd (2021 to 2026)
From the previous Senedd's record, for issues that run across both. The rest of this analysis covers the Seventh Senedd only.
In the Sixth Senedd, the Welsh Labour Government set a target of 20,000 low-carbon social homes and debated second homes and holiday lets. Members argued over rent controls and no-fault evictions, and repeatedly pressed ministers on slow building safety remediation after Grenfell. Homelessness legislation was amended in early 2026.
Julie James (Welsh Labour) set the 20,000 low-carbon social homes target and linked second homes to affordability and the Welsh language. Mark Isherwood (Welsh Conservatives) criticised the 182-day rule after outcry from the sector. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Mabon ap Gwynfor (Plaid Cymru) argued for rent controls, and Janet Finch-Saunders (Welsh Conservatives) cited evidence against them. Julie James rejected a snap rent freeze, and Luke Fletcher (Plaid Cymru) criticised the retreat from rent controls. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Julie James (Welsh Labour) said developers should pay for building safety fixes, not leaseholders. Jane Dodds (Welsh Liberal Democrats) voiced frustration at the pace, and Rhys ab Owen (Independent) pressed for remediation contribution orders. Contributions: [1][2][3]
On homelessness, Janet Finch-Saunders (Welsh Conservatives) argued that the supply of homes is the core problem. In 2026 Rhys ab Owen (Independent) tabled amendments to the Homelessness Bill on local connection and advice. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Written by AI on 30 October 2026 from 220 contributions in the Senedd between 19 May 2026 and 22 October 2026, with the petitions and ministers' meetings on this brief. Each point links to the contributions it draws on; check them before quoting. How the analysis is written.
Where things stand
Statistics published by the Welsh Government. Each chart covers the years since the 2016 Senedd election, or as far back as the figures go, and marks each election since.
Homeless people in temporary accommodation
10,370
31 August 2026
Of whom children under 16
2,217
A year earlier
11,029(31 August 2025)
Before the 2026 election
10,376(30 April 2026)
People
Of whom children under 16
Homeless people living in temporary accommodation arranged by councils on the last day of each month, and how many of them were children under 16.
The Vale of Glamorgan's figures for November 2025 to June 2026 are estimates.
The Programme for Government 2026 to 2030 belongs to the Seventh Senedd. Choose the Seventh Senedd to see how often each commitment has come up.
Housing
Introduce new measures to strengthen the rights and protections of renters, including fair rents, and we will improve the overall quality of rental properties.
Expand access to retrofitting by adopting a tenure‑neutral, area‑based approach whilst retaining existing energy efficiency schemes for low‑income households.
Examine options for extending permitted development rights for single dwellings and converting farm buildings for residential use to improve access to affordable housing in rural areas.
Review the 182‑day threshold for holiday accommodation and create clear and reasonable new exemptions where that accommodation would not qualify as a private home.
Work with local authorities to review the effectiveness of existing measures on second homes and holiday lets and assess what further action is needed to help young people remain in their communities and to promote the Welsh language and culture.
Make the renewal of Welsh housing stock a national mission, along with reforms to ensure greater security for renters and increased availability of social housing. Safe and adequate housing is an essential bedrock of health.
Embed a Housing First, trauma‑informed and person‑centred approach to tackling homelessness, ensuring our new homelessness legislation is implemented effectively and kept under review. Our Housing and Regeneration Strategy will be rooted in the ambition that everyone should have a safe and secure home.
Source: Welsh Government, Programme for government 2026 to 2030: New ambition for Wales, first published on 10 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Mentions are found by matching the names of plans, bodies and schemes; a mention says nothing about progress.
From the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government's latest press releases and Cabinet statements on this brief.
Each bar is the share of that party's speeches and questions in the Sixth Senedd that touched this brief, so large and small parties can be compared. The upright line marks the chamber as a whole: 0.96%.
Ministers' meetings with outside organisations and their engagements on this brief, from the register the Welsh Government publishes every three months. 1 since the 2026 election:
27 July 2026
David Ward and John Lovell re: Unnos
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
39% of Welsh adults said housing would be very important to their vote.
Ipsos asked 747 Welsh adults aged 16+ between 2 April 2026 and 8 April 2026, before the 2026 Senedd election. People could choose as many issues as they liked. More on public opinion.
Written questions
80 written questions to the Welsh Government on this brief in the Sixth Senedd, 79 answered so far. The latest:
Tagged for: “housing associations”, “social housing”Official Record
Month by month
310
24
202120222023202420252026
Contributions tagged in each month of the Sixth Senedd. No sittings were held in August 2021, August 2022, August 2023, December 2024, February 2025, March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025 and December 2025.Show the numbers
Month
Contributions
May 2021
0
June 2021
4
July 2021
11
August 2021
No sittings
September 2021
21
October 2021
19
November 2021
26
December 2021
8
January 2022
56
February 2022
27
March 2022
56
April 2022
45
May 2022
53
June 2022
49
July 2022
36
August 2022
No sittings
September 2022
28
October 2022
55
November 2022
81
December 2022
How this brief is put together
This brief follows the Programme commitments listed above and tags the record with the phrases below. Keyword matching can miss business that discusses the issue in other words, and can tag a passing mention.
Show the phrases it uses
A contribution is tagged when its English text contains one of these phrases. Capital letters don't matter, except in abbreviations, which must match exactly. It is also tagged when the title of the agenda item or question it was part of contains one, as long as the contribution is at least 30 words long. The brief is also tagged whenever one of its themes is.
New homes completed in Wales each quarter: all new homes, and those built by registered social landlords (housing associations) and by councils.
Completions rise and fall with the seasons, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The figures are likely to be an undercount, because they leave out homes signed off by some private approved inspectors. Gwynedd sent no figures for 2025-26, and Bridgend none for July to September 2024 or April to June 2025. There are no quarterly figures for April 2020 to March 2022: the Welsh Government published only yearly totals for those two years. Completions by social landlords are not the same as the Welsh Government's count of additional affordable homes, which also includes homes bought or converted.
New homes completed: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period
All new homes
By housing associations
By councils
April to June 2026
1,190
214
25
January to March 2026
1,074
253
91
October to December 2025
1,811
278
1
July to September 2025
1,046
226
28
April to June 2025
1,228
195
23
January to March 2025
1,074
369
45
October to December 2024
1,275
231
90
July to September 2024
944
142
4
April to June 2024
1,345
315
74
January to March 2024
1,115
297
0
October to December 2023
1,543
264
16
July to September 2023
1,005
194
19
April to June 2023
1,108
215
30
January to March 2023
1,050
182
0
October to December 2022
1,805
390
14
July to September 2022
1,339
149
77
April to June 2022
1,591
289
102
January to March 2020
1,291
190
43
October to December 2019
1,759
363
0
July to September 2019
1,391
289
6
April to June 2019
1,596
367
6
January to March 2019
1,325
380
0
October to December 2018
1,593
346
9
July to September 2018
1,299
265
18
April to June 2018
1,560
240
30
January to March 2018
1,367
232
29
October to December 2017
1,817
226
24
July to September 2017
1,413
209
16
April to June 2017
2,066
450
12
January to March 2017
1,589
277
0
October to December 2016
2,012
439
0
July to September 2016
1,601
238
0
April to June 2016
1,631
289
0
Additional affordable homes counted towards the Welsh Government's target of 20,000 in the social sector for 2021 to 2026, each financial year. They include homes for social rent, intermediate rent and shared ownership, and homes leased for more than a year to house homeless families.
The Programme for Government 2026 to 2030 sets a new target: at least 20,000 additional social homes by 2030.
