By the Welsh Government Knowledge and Analytical Services team
Recent publications
• New housebuilding, April to June 2013
• Homelessness, April to June 2013
• Mortgage and landlord possession actions, July to September 2013
• House Price Index, (up to September) 2013
• Welsh Housing Quality Standards, 2012-13
• Affordable housing provision in Wales, 2012-13
• Code for Sustainable Homes and energy performance of buildings, April to June and July to September 2013
All releases are available from www.wales.gov.uk/statistics
Housing Information Group
The group meets quarterly and act as a forum for the Welsh Government, local authorities, housing associations, and participating agencies to share views about housing information. These views cover statistical, research and other analytical requirements of Welsh housing policy and practice.
Further information, including agendas, minutes and papers please refer to the website: http://wales.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/housing-information-group
For further information on environment and housing statistics, please contact Rhiannon Caunt rhiannon.caunt@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Housing research
The following housing research reports have been recently published:
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The ‘Houses into Homes’ scheme, which makes available loans to bring privately owned empty houses or commercial buildings back into use as homes for rent or sale, was launched in April 2012. The Welsh Government has set itself the target of bringing 5,000 properties back into use during the current term of government (2011-2016). An evaluation study is being conducted by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, and spans the three years of the initiative. The second interim report was published in October 2013. This presented monitoring data detailing enquires, applications received and loans approved by all 22 Welsh local authorities during the first year of the scheme. Analysis also reviewed the changing profile of direct actions taken by local authorities to bring empty properties back into use, in an attempt to measure the impact of the scheme. In addition, discussion draws on the findings of an e-survey of empty homes officers in all 22 local authorities and interviews with the six regional coordinators to review delivery of Houses into Homes.
• Campbell Tickell was awarded the contract to evaluate the current standard and future challenges for governance within housing associations and to identify the training and development needs of their governing boards. This study was published in September 2013.
• The S180 Local Authority projects to minimise the impact of housing benefit reform using the homelessness grant funding is set to begin its 4th period in autumn 2013. Since May 2013 the period 3 data has been collected and analysed, this has formed the basis of a monitoring report which was published in October 2013.
All housing research reports can be found at: http://wales.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/?type=Social+Research&lang=en#/statistics-and-research/?topics=Housing+and+community&view=Search+results&types=Social+Research&lang=en
For more information contact Lucie Griffiths, housing researcher, Lucie.griffiths@wales.gsi.gov.uk