The Welsh Government has put social housing, renters’ rights and retrofit at the centre of its programme for 2026-30, setting out commitments with implications for landlords, councils and regeneration organisations.
The programme pledges at least 20,000 additional social homes by 2030 and the establishment of Unnos to enable the delivery of more publicly owned, energy-efficient homes. It also promises support for community-led housing that meets local needs.
Ministers will introduce measures to strengthen renters’ rights, including fair rents, improve rental property quality and work towards realising a right to adequate housing. These remain policy commitments rather than rights already brought into force.
For organisations managing existing homes, the programme proposes a tenure-neutral, area-based approach to retrofit, while retaining energy efficiency schemes for low-income households. It also commits to focusing on the pace of remediation of properties with fire safety defects.
Housing is linked to preventing ill health. The government intends to make renewal of Welsh housing stock a national mission and embed a Housing First, trauma-informed approach to homelessness, alongside effective implementation of the new homelessness legislation.
Regeneration commitments include using the Town Centre Taskforce to explore bringing empty properties into use as social housing and legislating for a community right to buy local assets.
The programme also promises planning reform, a renewed National Development Framework and a review of measures addressing second homes and holiday lets.
For housing providers, the programme signals an agenda spanning new supply, existing stock and support services. The next test will be how these ambitions translate into funding, timetables and practical arrangements for the organisations expected to implement them.
We’ll be delving into what the programme for government means for housing in the next issue. Drop us a line at sally@sallylhales.com to have your say.