Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales acknowledges there is a challenge with the proportion of second homes in some communities in Wales.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government, was speaking in the Senedd during a Debate on the Local Government and Housing Committee Report: Second Homes.
He said:
I would like to put on record, my thanks to John Griffiths for his chairmanship in producing the committee report on second homes, and also to my fellow colleagues on the committee, and the Minister, clerks and the committee support team who have come along and given evidence and supported us as a committee through this process.
The issue around second homes has been a contentious one for a long time in Wales. I would also like to put on record also my acknowledgement that it's certainly a challenge with the proportion of second homes in some communities in Wales.
The example that struck me during our work as a committee was in Abersoch, you are looking at around 50% of the properties there that are either second homes or holiday homes, whereas a few miles up the road in Caernarfon, about 0.5% of the properties there fall into that category. So, the differences across communities are vast in places that aren't that far apart
One thing I'd like to focus on is the understanding of the issue around the number of houses being built in our rural communities as well, and the context of second homes within that.
We know that of the nearly 1.4 million properties in Wales, the data we were using when the report was published showed that just under 20,000 of those properties are classified as second homes. That's 1.4 % of all the properties in Wales. It's 1.4 % that are second homes. Whilst I clarified this at the start of my contribution, that it's such an issue in some communities, the context of that number is not as significant, perhaps, as some would want us to believe.
The impact of such a negative message to our tourism industry has already been highlighted and we were reminded in taking evidence that it's the tourism sector in Wales that accounts for 17.6% of gross domestic product, and employs over 12% of our residents in the country.
I welcome recommendation 4, which calls on the Welsh Government to commission further research on the impact of tourism on the sustainability of communities, because this sector is so important to our communities in terms of jobs and future opportunities.
And recommendation 8, which states that the Welsh Government needs to provide an update to the Senedd on how it intends to achieve its target to build another 20,000 new social homes within this Senedd term, along with recommendation 10, which is seeking further efforts from the Welsh Government about how it's going to work with the private sector to develop more properties, especially in these communities where they are finding it difficult with the number of second and holiday homes.
Sam Rowlands AS o'r farn na fydd taclo problem ail gartrefi yn datrys argyfwng tai'r Gogledd
Mae Sam Rowlands, AS Gogledd Cymru, yn cydnabod bod cyfran yr ail gartrefi mewn rhai cymunedau yng Nghymru yn her.
Roedd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog yr Wrthblaid dros Lywodraeth Leol, yn siarad yn y Senedd yn ystod dadl ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol a Thai: Ail Gartrefi.
Meddai:
Hoffwn ddiolch i John Griffiths am ei gadeiryddiaeth wrth lunio adroddiad y pwyllgor ar ail gartrefi, a hefyd i fy nghydweithwyr ar y pwyllgor, a'r Gweinidog, clerciaid a thîm cefnogi'r pwyllgor am ddod draw, rhoi tystiolaeth a'n cefnogi fel pwyllgor gydol y broses hon.
Mae'r mater ail gartrefi wedi bod yn un dadleuol ers amser maith yng Nghymru. Hoffwn hefyd gydnabod bod cyfran yr ail gartrefi mewn rhai cymunedau yng Nghymru yn dipyn o her, heb os.
Yr enghraifft a'm tarodd yn ystod ein gwaith fel pwyllgor oedd Abersoch, lle mae tua 50% o'r eiddo yno naill ai'n ail gartrefi neu'n dai gwyliau. Ychydig filltiroedd i fyny'r ffordd yng Nghaernarfon, dim ond tua 0.5% o'r eiddo sy’n perthyn i'r categori yna. Felly, mae'r gwahaniaethau enfawr mewn cymunedau nad ydyn nhw mor bell â hynny oddi wrth ei gilydd.
Un peth hoffwn i ganolbwyntio arno yw dealltwriaeth well o faint o dai sy'n cael eu hadeiladu yn ein cymunedau gwledig, a chyd-destun ail gartrefi o fewn hynny.
Gwyddom, o'r bron i 1.4 miliwn o eiddo sydd yng Nghymru, fod y data a ddefnyddiwyd pan gyhoeddwyd yr adroddiad yn dangos mai ychydig llai na 20,000 o'r eiddo hynny sydd wedi'u dosbarthu'n ail gartrefi. Mae hynny'n 1.4% o holl eiddo Cymru. 1.4% sy'n ail gartrefi. Er i mi egluro hyn ar ddechrau fy nghyfraniad, mae'n gymaint o broblem mewn rhai cymunedau, nid yw cyd-destun y rhif hwnnw mor arwyddocaol, efallai, ag y byddai rhai am inni gredu.
Mae effaith neges mor negyddol ar ein diwydiant twristiaeth eisoes yn amlwg, ac wrth gasglu tystiolaeth, fe'n hatgoffwyd bod twristiaeth yng Nghymru yn werth 17.6% o'r cynnyrch domestig gros ac yn cyflogi dros 12% o drigolion ein gwlad.
Rwy'n croesawu argymhelliad 4, sy'n galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gomisiynu ymchwil pellach ar effaith twristiaeth ar gynaliadwyedd cymunedau, oherwydd mae'r sector hwn mor bwysig i'n cymunedau o ran swyddi a chyfleoedd yn y dyfodol.
Ac argymhelliad 8, sy'n nodi bod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru roi diweddariad i'r Senedd ar sut mae'n bwriadu cyrraedd ei darged i adeiladu 20,000 o gartrefi cymdeithasol newydd arall o fewn tymor y Senedd hon, ynghyd ag argymhelliad 10, sy'n ceisio ymdrechion pellach gan Lywodraeth Cymru o ran sut y bydd yn mynd ati i weithio gyda'r sector preifat i ddatblygu mwy o gartrefi, yn enwedig yn y cymunedau hynny sy'n dioddef gyda chymaint o ail gartrefi a llety gwyliau.
