Jennie Bibbings

Home The Senedd is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people, makes laws for Wales, agrees Welsh taxes and holds the Welsh Government to account.

Housing support is the main focus of this morning's meeting of the Senedd's Local Gov & Housing Committee @SeneddLGHousing

Cab Sec Jayne Bryant MS will be answering Qs about the Housing Support Grant and the drive to end homelessness.

Watch on senedd.tv 📺

Lessons from the past for the future - WHQ Welsh Government should look again at the case for a national development corporation, says John Griffiths MS. When I spoke at the Community Housing Cymru conference in November to launch our report o...

Also - here's a link to Chair John Griffiths MS's article in Welsh Housing Quarterly, which takes a look at one of the recommendations rejected by the Welsh Gov:

tinyurl.com/ytf5hrrs

Wales’s housing crisis: the role of social housing supply Wales is in the midst of a housing crisis and increasing the supply of social housing is essential to address it, according to the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee.

This Wednesday Senedd members will debate the Local Gov & Housing Committee report on how to increase social housing supply.

Ahead of the debate, I've written a piece summarising the report and the Welsh Gov's response:

tinyurl.com/bddr86r7

Lessons from the past for the future - WHQ Welsh Government should look again at the case for a national development corporation, says John Griffiths MS. When I spoke at the Community Housing Cymru conference in November to launch our report o...

The Welsh Gov rejected a key recommendation in the @senedd.wales Local Gov & Housing Committee inquiry on social housing supply.

In this article, Chair John Griffiths MS explains why the Committee believes a Welsh development corporation would deliver more social homes:

tinyurl.com/ytf5hrrs

Housing share of government expenditure 2022-23:

England 1.8%
Wales 2.7% (note this is *all* gov expenditure not Welsh Gov)
Scotland 3.5%
N Ireland 4.3%

There are some figures in the CIH's UK Housing Review. They lag a few years back (the most recent stats I've seen are 2022-23). I think the challenge is clarity on devolved/non-devolved spending. The UK Housing Review figs are for all public spending not just Welsh Gov - I'll dig them out:

Agenda for Local Government and Housing Committee on Wednesday, 15 January 2025, 09.00 | Senedd Senedd

The Welsh Government proposes to spend 4.9% of its total budget on housing and regen in 2025-26.

This was mentioned by John Griffiths MS, Chair of the Senedd Local Gov & Housing Committee, during this AM’s scrutiny session with the Cab Sec. If you missed it, catch up here:

tinyurl.com/yc8r4854

Rent levels, conditions, and evictions: the Welsh private rented sector The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will explore enabling renters to keep the last two months of their rent as compensation when facing a no-fault eviction. The Senedd’s Local Government and Ho...

The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will explore enabling renters to keep the last 2 months' rent as compensation when facing a no-fault eviction.

Ahead of this Wednesday's plenary debate, I've written this article on the Local Gov & Housing Committee report:

tinyurl.com/4w9kmbpz

Lets for pets? Calls to tackle the lack of pet-friendly homes in the private rented sector A lack of pet-friendly rental properties in the private sector is making it difficult for pet-owners to find a place to live, and forcing some to give up their beloved animals. This was a key finding...

My colleague Gwennan Hardy has written an excellent piece about the issue of pets in the private rented sector. Not a trivial matter! Actually has a huge impact on tenant wellbeing:

tinyurl.com/4z7prrbn

Renters Rights (or when renting discrimination becomes a constitutional issue) Back in September 2024, Jayne Bryan (the Cabinet Secretary for Housing) laid a Legislative Consent Memorandum before the Senedd seeking consent for certain provisions of the Westminster government&…

Interesting blog post by Prof Dave Cowan on what the Renters' Rights Bill means for Wales.

The Welsh Gov is using the Bill to outlaw discrimination against tenants with kids or claiming benefits. Senedd scrutiny is throwing up various issues, lucidly analysed here by Dave:

tinyurl.com/5h9hccf4

I’ve had council planning officers tell me in #Wales that they haven’t been able to check if planning regs have been met. Be it our statutory SuDs, protected trees, sites, or biodiversity net gain delivered.

What kills #nature our divorce from it, austerity, wealth disparity, & growth economics.

Best early Xmas present this morning - a follow from my number 1 childhood hero, @shakinstevens1.bsky.social !!

He's got a new album out (political content!) and working with the Salvation Army. Great to see Shaky fighting the good fight ✊

What is ‘rapid rehousing’ and how could it help homelessness in Wales? When actor and activist Michael Sheen brought the Homeless World Cup to Cardiff in 2019, the event was billed as an opportunity to build a long-lasting legacy, tackling homelessness in the capital and...

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There are lots of useful resources in the hyperlinks, if you want to dig deeper:

research.senedd.wales/research-art...

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It questions much of the way we're currently supporting people with complex needs to escape homelessness.

With a Welsh Homelessness Bill on the horizon, I'm hoping this will be a helpful resource to get people up to speed quickly.

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It's not quite as simple as 'what it says on the tin'.

It's not only about minimising stays in temporary accommodation, but also spells more fundamental changes for how the homelessness system supports people.

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I've written an article about rapid rehousing - explaining what it is, what progress has been made, and what will need to happen to make it a reality in Wales.

I'm often surprised at how many people in the housing sector don't really understand what rapid rehousing means.

I must say I'm loving this new blog by Prof Dave Cowan at Cardiff University, on Welsh housing law and policy.

Today's post is a well-considered take on the new Senedd Local Government and Housing Committee report on social housing supply.

More please Dave :)

tinyurl.com/3yc96xdc

#Senedd Starter Pack now updated with added @jacksargeantms.bsky.social @lynneneagle.bsky.social and @jennyrathbone.bsky.social
go.bsky.app/7z84W2k

The Welsh government must be more ambitious in its vision for social housing A long-term approach is needed if we are ever to meet our social housing goals, writes John Griffiths, chair of the  Local Government and Housing Committee at Senedd

Here's a piece in Inside Housing about the Local Government & Housing Committee's new report on social housing supply, by John Griffiths MS:

www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/the-...

Having worked so hard on this over the last year, I am proud of the Committee's report on increasing social housing supply.

The quality of evidence to Committee was extremely high.

Wales needs a critical mass of social housing - at least 20%, ideally up to a third of stock.

tinyurl.com/246zrhh2