Housing Associations meet with Plaid Cymru to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the sector
Plaid Cymru representatives and housing associations from across Wales met on 18th July for a productive roundtable discussion focused on critical priorities from two Plaid Cymru policy papers: Improving Welsh homes: Going further and faster, and Building a Future: Plaid Cymru’s Vision for Transforming Social Housing Delivery in Wales.
The meeting, held at Adra’s decarbonisation hub, Tŷ Gwyrddfai, brought together Siân Gwenllian MS, Plaid Cymru Spokesperson for Housing and Planning, and senior executives from Adra, Pobl, Clwyd Alyn, North Wales Housing Association, Cartrefi Conwy, Grwp Cynefin, and Monmouthshire Housing Association.
Stuart Ropke, Chief Executive at Community Housing Cymru, commented:
"We welcome the opportunity to engage directly with Plaid Cymru on these vital issues. Housing associations are at the forefront of delivering sustainable communities, and today's discussions have provided valuable insights into how we can collectively overcome challenges and accelerate the delivery of both bringing all homes up to a good standard and providing much-needed new homes across Wales."
Key discussion points
Key discussion points during the roundtable included:
Strategies for high-quality, affordable homes: Exploring innovative funding models, technological solutions, reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy bills, and improving health for tenants. This included discussions on achieving EPC targets, supporting SME growth, and ensuring that households are a part of the climate change agenda.
Boosting New Social Home Construction: How Unnos can give longer-term certainty to a pipeline of housing development sites. This includes sharing expertise across different models, derisking difficult sites, and a particular focus on land assembly to bring sites forward.
Homelessness: A brief discussion on measuring the true cost of managing complex support needs in light of the proposals in the Homelessness and Social Housing (Allocation) Bill.
Siân Gwenllian MS said:
“I’m incredibly proud that my constituency is at the heart of the green revolution in housing, and it was a pleasure to welcome so many key stakeholders to Penygroes and the pioneering Tŷ Gwyrddfai hub. This facility is a powerful example of how housing can drive the green industrial revolution—offering a path to net zero while creating high-quality, green jobs in post-industrial communities like Dyffryn Nantlle. Plaid Cymru is serious about tackling the housing crisis, as shown by our three recent housing policy papers, and accelerating the construction of new social homes will be a top priority for us in government.”
The roundtable concluded with a shared commitment to continue sharing expertise and innovative solutions to ensure the most effective and efficient use of resources.
CHC will continue to engage closely with housing associations and all relevant parties ahead of and beyond the May 2026 Senedd election to ensure that discussions are translated into concrete actions and tangible improvements for people across Wales.