Housing

Social housing, renting, homelessness, second homes, building safety, warmer homes and the planning system.

In the Programme for Government this sits under the well-being objective Helping households with the cost of living.

ThemesEverything Social housing Homelessness Renting Second homes and holiday lets Buying a home Building safety Warmer, greener homes Planning

Showing the theme Planning. The Programme commitments are the brief's as a whole.

Statements and debates: 1; in the Sixth Senedd
Contributions: 528; in the Sixth Senedd
Written questions: 0; in the Sixth Senedd

How often it comes up

Jul 2023Mar 2026

528 contributions in the Sixth Senedd touched on this. The busiest month was Jun 2024, with 93.

Who raises it

Labour58%
Conservative25%
Plaid16%
Reform1%
Independent1%
Lib Dem1%

Share of the 371 contributions on this subject, by the speaker's party.

On this page

The debate so far
Where things stand
What the government has promised
From the Welsh Government
In the news
Key moments in the Senedd
Related votes
Who raises it
What people say matters
Written questions
Petitions
In committee
From Senedd Research
Latest contributions
Month by month
How this brief is put together

The debate so far

Housing debates in the Seventh Senedd have centred on the Plaid Cymru Government's target of 20,000 new social homes by 2030, and on planned legislation on private renting and fair rents. Members have also pressed ministers on homelessness and temporary accommodation, slow building safety remediation, holiday let rules and the planning system.

The main arguments

Siân Gwenllian (Plaid Cymru) said a shortage of homes is at the core of the crisis and set out the 20,000 social homes target. Peter Fox (Conservatives) asked why it would succeed when the last Government missed its target. Contributions: [1][2]

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

10,535

31 July 2026

Of whom children under 16: 2,386
A year earlier: 10,975 (31 July 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.

Source: Welsh Government, Homeless individuals temporarily accommodated at the end of the period by local authority and accommodation type. Official statistics. Next update due on 29 October 2026. Checked on 23 October 2026.

Show the figures

Homeless people in temporary accommodation: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period	People	Of whom children under 16
31 July 2026	10,535	2,386
30 June 2026	10,339	2,227
31 May 2026	10,282	2,219
30 April 2026	10,376	2,252
31 March 2026	10,539	2,278
28 February 2026	10,581	2,283
31 January 2026	10,627	2,255
31 December 2025	10,605	2,292
30 November 2025	10,865	2,429
31 October 2025	10,818	2,503
30 September 2025	10,872	2,551
31 August 2025	11,029	2,597

New homes completed

1,190

April to June 2026

By housing associations: 214
By councils: 25
A year earlier: 1,228 (April to June 2025)

All new homes
By housing associations
By councils

3,530

2024-25

Total, 2021-22 to 2024-25: 12,463
A year earlier: 3,158 (2023-24)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How we show official statistics

What the government has promised

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.
Read it in the Programme
Work towards realising a right to adequate housing in Wales.
Latest figure: Homeless people in temporary accommodation, 10,535, 31 July 2026.
Read it in the Programme
Deliver more social housing – at least 20,000 additional social homes by 2030 – and support community‑led housing that meets local needs.
Latest figure: New homes completed, 1,190, April to June 2026.
Latest figure: Homes counted towards the 2021-26 social homes target, 3,530, 2024-25.
Read it in the Programme
Establish Unnos to enable the delivery of more publicly owned, energy efficient homes.
Read it in the Programme
Expand access to retrofitting by adopting a tenure‑neutral, area‑based approach whilst retaining existing energy efficiency schemes for low‑income households.
Read it in the Programme
Focus on the pace of remediation of properties with fire safety defects.
Read it in the Programme

A stronger, more resilient rural Wales

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.
Read it in the ProgrammeAlso followed in: Farming and rural Wales.

A more sustainable tourism sector

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.
Read it in the Programme
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.
Read it in the Programme

Community-led planning and a "made in Wales" approach to regional development

Reform the planning system, so it better serves our people, communities and businesses, building a more connected and prosperous Wales.
Read it in the Programme
Overhaul spatial planning and produce a National Development Framework for Wales that provides renewed vision and oversight on an all‑Wales basis.
Read it in the Programme

Prevention of ill health

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.
Read it in the Programme
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.
Latest figure: Homeless people in temporary accommodation, 10,535, 31 July 2026.
Read it in the Programme

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.

Month by month

Contributions tagged in each month of the Sixth Senedd. No sittings were held in 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
July 2023	0
August 2023	No sittings
September 2023	0
October 2023	0
November 2023	0
December 2023	0
January 2024	35
February 2024	39
March 2024	35
April 2024	35
May 2024	60
June 2024	93
July 2024	24
August 2024	0
September 2024	25
October 2024	77
November 2024	12
December 2024	No sittings
January 2025	18
February 2025

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.

Phrases for the brief as a whole

“housing”
“homes for”
“new homes”
“housing crisis”
“housing supply”

Not counted when part of

“care home”
“care homes”
“nursing home”
“nursing homes”
“children's homes”

Social housing

“social housing”
“social homes”
“council housing”
“council homes”
“housing association”
“housing associations”
“social rent”
“social landlords”
“social landlord”
“Unnos”
“low-carbon social homes”

Homelessness

“homelessness”
“homeless”
“temporary accommodation”
“rough sleeping”
“rough sleepers”
“Housing First”

Renting

“Renting Homes”
“private rented sector”
“private rented”
“private renters”
“renters”
“landlord”
“landlords”
“tenant”
“tenants”
“no-fault eviction”
“no-fault evictions”
“Rent Smart Wales”
“rent increases”
“rent controls”
“rent control”
“fair rents”
“right to adequate housing”

Not counted when part of

“social landlord”
“social landlords”

Second homes and holiday lets

“second home”
“second homes”
“holiday let”
“holiday lets”
“short-term lets”
“short-term holiday lets”
“council tax premium”
“council tax premiums”
“Article 4”
“182-day”
“182 days”
“self-catering”

Buying a home

“affordable housing”
“affordable homes”
“house prices”
“housing affordability”
“first-time buyers”
“first time buyers”
“mortgage”
“mortgages”
“Help to Buy”
“Help to Buy - Wales”

Building safety

“building safety”
“cladding”
“fire safety defects”
“unsafe cladding”
“remediation of buildings”
“building remediation”
“Grenfell”

Warmer, greener homes

“retrofit”
“retrofitting”
“Warm Homes”
“Nest scheme”
“Optimised Retrofit Programme”
“energy efficiency of homes”
“energy-efficient homes”
“energy efficient homes”
“Welsh Housing Quality Standard”
“damp and mould”

Abbreviations

“WHQS”

Planning

“planning system”
“planning permission”
“planning application”
“planning applications”
“local development plan”
“local development plans”
“Future Wales”
“National Development Framework”
“planning policy”
“planning authorities”
“planning reform”
“permitted development”
“Planning and Environment Decisions Wales”
“Development of National Significance”
“Developments of National Significance”

Abbreviations

“PEDW”

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

Homes counted towards the 2021-26 social homes target: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period	Wales
2024-25	3,530
2023-24	3,158
2022-23	3,212
2021-22	2,563

The debate so far

The main arguments

The debate so far

The main arguments

Where the parties stand

Welsh Conservatives

Welsh Labour

Reform UK

Plaid Cymru

Wales Green Party

Welsh Liberal Democrats

What the government is being pressed on

What the public is asking for

Who ministers are meeting

In the Sixth Senedd (2021 to 2026)

Where things stand

Homeless people in temporary accommodation

New homes completed

Homes counted towards the 2021-26 social homes target

What the government has promised

Housing

A stronger, more resilient rural Wales

A more sustainable tourism sector

Community-led planning and a "made in Wales" approach to regional development

Prevention of ill health

From the Welsh Government

In the news

Key moments in the Senedd

Related votes

Plaid Cymru Debate - Planning policy for new power lines

Who raises it

Which parties raise it

Members who raise it most

What people say matters

Written questions

Petitions

In committee

From Senedd Research

Latest contributions

Month by month

How this brief is put together

Phrases for the brief as a whole