When it comes to affordable homes Labour are full of warm words and no action - Bates

3.51.28pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 20th Mar 2007

Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Social Justice, Mick Bates AM, today accused First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM of completely missing the point on affordable housing. The First Minister was responding to questions on Labour's plans for affordable housing in the Assembly today.

Mick Bates said:

"When it comes to providing affordable homes the key issue is the price of the land.

"That's why I have consistently pressed the Minister to release government land to ensure we can provide affordable homes, not just for this generation, but for generations to come.

"The Assembly Minister for Planning, Carwyn Jones AM, has spoken about his intention to release government land for this purpose for the best part of 3 years. Yet, by failing to release a single square inch of government land he is simply confirming that, for all his warm words, this has not been backed up by action.

"The onus has in fact been passed to local authorities and I congratulate Powys County Council for taking a lead where the Labour Assembly Government has failed by releasing its own land for affordable houses to be constructed rural areas such as Castle Caereinon."

Notes/Nodiadau:

At the forthcoming Welsh General Election Welsh Liberal Democrat housing policies will include:

• Pledge to work with local planning authorities to identify sites for affordable housing and improve the supply of land by picking out suitable sites for affordable housing owned by the Assembly Government across the country. Wherever possible these would be brownfield sites in line with our commitment to making Wales a greener country.

• Promote the development of Community Land Trusts in both Rural and Urban parts of Wales. We will examine the need for a dedicated division in the WAG housing department to support and promote Community Land Trusts.

• Give local authorities the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. 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 local authorities 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 as well consideration of buying back when the properties are offered for sale.

Ends/Diwedd