Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales has called on the Welsh Government to do more to tackle the housing crisis in Wales.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government, was responding to a Plaid Cymru Debate – the private rental sector.
He said:
As we have seen in Scotland, where those rent freezes have already been introduced, this has already provided some unintended and negative consequences for tenants and for those seeking to rent property, because the supply of rental housing is reducing whilst demand is growing.
There are also unintended consequences, in Ireland, where there are already forms of rent control in place, we have recently seen chaotic photographs on social media of hundreds of people queuing up to try to get hold of rental properties in places like Dublin at the moment.
It is quite clear that a rent freeze would do nothing at all to address supply and demand challenges. Local authorities are being faced with some spiralling costs of temporary accommodation, and there are some significant challenges there that need to be addressed.
The Welsh Government actually provided local authorities with around £10 million of the COVID tenancy hardship grant scheme, but only 2.3% of that money was actually ever used. I wonder as a quick fix to help in the immediate term, if the Welsh Government could consider using the significant underspend on supporting those who are struggling.
There needs to be around 12,000 homes built in Wales every single year, and we are never even getting close at the moment. It is a fairly simple equation more homes enable fewer people to be homeless; it's not rocket science.
Nearly 85% of homes in Wales are either owned or in the private rental sector which is a real significant proportion. Data from Propertymark shows that twice as many landlords are leaving the sector compared to other parts of the UK. It is clearly an issue here in Wales.
Sam Rowlands AS yn gwrthod rhewi rhenti ac yn annog adeiladu mwy o dai
Mae Sam Rowlands, AS Rhanbarthol Gogledd Cymru, wedi galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i wneud mwy i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng tai yng Nghymru.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, roedd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog yr Wrthblaid dros Lywodraeth Leol, yn ymateb i Ddadl Plaid Cymru - y sector rhentu preifat.
Meddai:
Fel rydyn ni wedi gweld yn yr Alban, lle mae rhenti eisoes wedi'u rhewi, mae hyn eisoes wedi arwain at rai canlyniadau anfwriadol a negyddol i denantiaid ac i'r rhai sy'n ceisio rhentu eiddo, gan fod y cyflenwad o dai rhent yn lleihau tra bod y galw'n cynyddu.
Mae yna ganlyniadau anfwriadol hefyd; yn Iwerddon, lle mae rhai dulliau rheoli rhent eisoes ar waith, rydyn ni wedi gweld lluniau ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol o gannoedd o bobl yn ciwio i geisio cael gafael ar eiddo rhent mewn llefydd fel Dulyn ar hyn o bryd.
Mae'n gwbl glir na fyddai rhewi rhenti’n gwneud dim i fynd i'r afael â heriau o ran cyflenwad a galw. Mae awdurdodau lleol yn gorfod ymdopi â chostau llety dros dro sy’n cynyddu’n gyflym, ac mae yna heriau sylweddol sydd angen mynd i'r afael â nhw.
Mewn gwirionedd, rhoddodd Llywodraeth Cymru tua £10 miliwn o grant caledi i denantiaid yn sgil COVID i awdurdodau lleol, ond dim ond 2.3% o'r arian hwnnw a ddefnyddiwyd. Fel ateb cyflym i helpu yn y tymor byr, tybed a allai Llywodraeth Cymru ystyried defnyddio'r tanwariant sylweddol i gynorthwyo'r rhai sy'n cael trafferthion.
Mae angen i tua 12,000 o gartrefi gael eu hadeiladu yng Nghymru bob blwyddyn, a dydyn ni ddim yn agos ar hynny hyn o bryd. Mae mwy o gartrefi yn golygu bod llai o bobl yn ddigartref; mae’n ateb syml.
Mae bron i 85% o gartrefi Cymru naill ai'n eiddo i bobl neu yn y sector rhentu preifat, sy'n gyfran sylweddol. Mae data o Propertymark yn dangos bod dwywaith cymaint o landlordiaid yn gadael y sector o gymharu â rhannau eraill o'r DU. Mae'n amlwg yn broblem yma yng Nghymru.
