Campaigners hope to develop a new radical vision for housing in Wales at a conference in Machynlleth next month. Steve Wilson outlines the agenda.
In September 2022 a packed meeting took place online between Julie James, minister for housing and climate change, civil servants, representatives from the Well Being and Welsh language commissioners offices, Electoral Reform Society Cymru and 12 representatives from nine grassroots campaign organisations. Quite a crowd!
The housing campaigners wanted her to back their call for an Emergency Housing Conference, a space where the wider community could deliberate on radical policies to address the housing crisis. Goodness only knows we need a break through on this. In housing, as in so many other areas of Welsh life, we are failing.
The minister agreed to back the conference, now set for February 18 in Y Plas, Machynlleth, organised by Siarter Cartrefi, a grassroots group of volunteers and community activists taking action on the housing crisis.
There will be no keynote speakers; the delegates will take the lead, they will propose ideas for debate and they will share their solutions for deliberation. The event will be run by a co-production team, focussing on developing a shared vision for housing in Wales and the kind of policies we will need to achieve that vision.
As part of the build up to the conference we have been consulting with stakeholders to try and understand what kind of conference they want and what policies they would like to debate. This has been interesting. This latest crisis has initiated a very different kind of conversation, whether with housing professionals or campaigners, the tone has changed….
In the first instance people are telling us that this is not just about housing. Many respondents call for systemic change – including more power devolved to Wales, others see independence as the only way of having the powers we need to address our profound systemic problems.
Tourism in its current form is seen as a problem – as extractive and damaging. The need to get tourists out of our housing is frequently raised. On offer are a whole host of creative ideas for more sustainable and ethical alternatives. Perhaps we need a conference to develop a shared vision for tourism in Wales!
Controlling Wales’s housing market is another prominent theme. The Channel Islands model is often cited, along with the approach taken in the Tirol, Austria. Without controlling the housing market, is it possible to meet existing Welsh legislation, the Well-being of Future Generations Act or Cymraeg 2050 Act for example?
The movement of wealthier buyers from other parts of the UK, particularly since the pandemic lockdowns, means that in large areas of Wales the market is pitched at them and not local buyers. This has led to the economic exclusion of local buyers from their own communities. The implications of this are far reaching. Controlling the housing market is seen as one way to address this. Without access to decent housing none of the well-being goals are achievable.
A number of organisations are advocating wider housing rights enshrined in law as a fundamental principle. More robust tenancy rights and gypsy and traveller rights have also been raised.
The need for a substantial funding pot to address the housing need of the people of Wales is one of the most popular themes. This brings us to the matter of ‘ownership’ and how to resource a Welsh ‘Sovereign Wealth Fund’. The argument is made for national ownership of renewable energy systems for example (already a part of the Plaid/Labour cooperation agreement), this would provide an income stream to fund housing needs and other services.
Devolving the Crown Estate in Wales is seen as both an important symbolic and financial step. The income from the Crown Estate could contribute to asset ownership in Wales. Going forward, campaigners believe that we need to have more control of our own affairs which in turn will help to broaden and deepen the potential for positive action.
Other themes include over hauling the planning system to work more for local needs.
In order to better understand the Welsh public’s desire for action, one of the aims of the conference is to take policy ideas raised and put them to citizens assemblies. Deliberation through assemblies is a powerful tool for community engagement; Ireland has had particular success with this format, making breakthroughs on some thorny issues.
The bottom line is we don’t have to accept perpetual crisis, we are a resilient, smart people with the answers to the problems that affect us. The deep vein of knowledge, experience and creativity that exists in Wales is one resource we have in abundance, we must enable that.
This conference is free and open to anyone who is interested in these issues, please come and help to affect meaningful, lasting change in real time by being part of the debate. Please book in at siartercartrefi.org/wales-housing-emergency-conference-cynhadledd-argyfwng-tai-cymru and have your say.
Campaigning organisations include: Siarter Cartrefi; 4CG; Gorau I Gymru; Haul I Fyw Adra; Cymdeithas yr Iaith; Dyfodol yr Iaith; Sail; Acorn Cymru; Undod and Melin Drafod.
Steve Wilson is a community activist with 30 years’ experience campaigning on housing and environmental issues and is also a member of Siarter Cartrefi