Welsh Government pledges a further 20,000 affordable homes.

Today (June 1) Communities and Children Cabinet Secretary Carl Sargeant pledged to provide a further 20,000 affordable homes during this term of government.

The announcement came during the Cabinet Secretary’s visit to United Welsh's Old Fire Station development in Bargoed. The development of 22 new flats and houses will contribute to the Welsh Government’s housing target.

Commenting on the news, Aaron Hill, Public Affairs Manager at Community Housing Cymru (CHC) said: “We welcome Carl Sargeant’s announcement that Welsh Government is setting a target of 20,000 new homes during this term of government. Housing associations are on target to meet the previous target of 10,000 and the sector is up for the challenge of delivering 20,000 homes, working closely with Welsh Government on the priorities in CHC’s manifesto. We are an ambitious sector and we’re looking forward to working with the Cabinet Secretary to deliver more homes for the people of Wales.”

The Welsh Government issued the following press release:

Communities and Children Secretary Carl Sargeant today (June 1) visited United Welsh Housing Association’s Old Fire Station development in Bargoed to see how work is progressing on the scheme. The 22 new flats and houses will contribute to the Welsh Government’s challenging target of providing 20,000 new homes during this term of government.

Carl Sargeant said: "Housing is so much more than bricks and mortar. Having a decent home in a safe community has been proven to have a positive influence on health and wellbeing and plays an important role in improving life chances. This is why providing people with a safe, warm and secure home is one of our key priorities and why we have pledged to provide a further 20,000 affordable homes during this term of government. Investing public money in building and refurbishing homes also contributes to national and local economies, creating and supporting jobs and training opportunities.Meeting this ambitious target will be quite a challenge, but it is one we are determined to meet head on. We believe long term partnerships can help deliver the accelerated rate of house building we need. We have a very positive and constructive relationship with our invaluable social landlords and I look forward to working closely with them to improve the lives of tenants.”