A think tank report examined house prices in England and Wales since 2007. It said that two distinct and divergent housing markets had emerged: in London, where prices and demand had risen sharply; and the rest of England and Wales.
Source: The Great House Price Divide, Smith Institute
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
The Welsh government published a Bill designed to: introduce a compulsory registration and licensing scheme for private rented sector landlords and letting and management agents; reform homelessness law, place a stronger duty of prevention on local authorities, and allow them to house applicants in the private sector housing; place a duty on local authorities to provide sites for Gypsies and Travellers; introduce standards for local authorities on rents, service charges and quality of accommodation; reform the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system; enable local authorities to charge 50 per cent more than the standard rate of council tax on empty homes; and assist the provision of housing by Co-operative Housing Associations.
Source: Housing (Wales) Bill, Welsh Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Welsh Government press release | WLGA press release | CIH press release | Inside Housing report | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that the under-occupancy rules (known as the 'bedroom tax') affected disproportionately more households in Wales than elsewhere in Great Britain and raised concerns over a shortage of supply of one- and two-bedroomed homes. The Committee also noted its concern about the impact of benefit changes on people with disabilities. The Committee said that that housing benefit changes in Wales should be carefully monitored.
Source: The Impact of Changes to Housing Benefit in Wales, Second Report (Session 2013-14), HC 159, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Additional written evidence | Committee press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Oct
The Welsh Government began consultation on proposals to provide a modern statutory framework for the sustainable management of natural resources. The consultation would close on 15 January 2014.
Source: Towards the Sustainable Management of Wales Natural Resources: Consultation on proposals for an Environment Bill, WG19631, Welsh Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2013-Oct
A report summarized the interim results of an evaluation of a scheme designed to bring empty residential properties or commercial buildings back into use as homes for rent or sale.
Source: Will Eadson, Stephen Green, Kesia Reeve, David Robinson and Ian Wilson, Houses into Homes: Second interim evaluation report, Research Paper 61/2013, Welsh Government
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A paper examined and compared the land use planning systems operating in the four United Kingdom countries. All four countries had a system that was 'plan-led': national and local planning policy was set out in formal development plans describing how land should be protected, and seeking to ensure a balance between development and environmental protection in the public interest. Although the basic structures of the four systems were similar, there were differences in the detail and in how each system worked. Recent changes introduced by the UK coalition government had led to a greater divergence between the system in England and the other three countries.
Source: Suzie Cave, Alan Rehfisch, Louise Smith, and Graham Winter, Comparison of the Planning Systems in the Four UK Countries, Research Paper13/39, Inter-Parliamentary Research and Information Network
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report warned that benefits reform, particularly cuts to housing benefit such as the bedroom tax, would drive homelessness upwards in Wales.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, and Steve Wilcox (with Beth Watts), The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2012, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release
Date: 2013-Jun
The Welsh Government published a White Paper on proposals to improve the arrangements for renting a home in Wales. It said that they were designed to create a simpler, more logical, and clearer legal framework. There would be two types of rental contract: a 'secure contract', and a 'standard contract'. Secure contracts would apply consistently to social housing provided by both local authorities and housing associations, thereby creating the much called-for 'single social tenancy'. The standard contract would be similar to the existing assured shorthold tenancy, with a lower degree of security of tenure.
Source: Renting Homes: A better way for Wales, Welsh Government
Links: White Paper | Summary | Welsh Government press release | CHC press release | CIH press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-May
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales called for the devolution of more powers relating to public transport in Wales. It said that the Welsh Government should have powers over bus regulation and registration, a greater role in the rail franchising process, and a statutory arrangement with Network Rail.
Source: Integrated Public Transport in Wales, Enterprise and Business Committee, National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | NAW press release
Date: 2013-May
A report (by an official advisory body) recommended reforms to the rented housing market in Wales. Under our proposals, Welsh Ministers would approve model secure contracts for social housing and standard contracts for the private sector. Each would set out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants.
Source: Renting Homes in Wales, LC337, Law Commission, Cm 8578, TSO
Links: Report | Report (Welsh) | Law Commission press release | Welsh Government press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A report examined the effects of the main changes to housing benefit on people in Wales. It called on the Welsh Government, local authorities, and housing associations to work 'proactively and collaboratively' to mitigate the worst effects of the changes on tenants in Wales.
Source: Mitigating the Impact of Changes to Housing Benefit in Wales: Our Recommendations, Cuts Watch Cymru
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Mar
The Welsh Government announced that it would provide additional help to individuals facing a cut in their council tax support following the changes announced by the United Kingdom government. An extra £22 million in funding would go to local authorities to help with bills in 2013-14, with the aim of ensuring that those people eligible for council tax support in Wales would continue to receive their full entitlement.
Source: Press release 17 January 2013, Welsh Government
Links: Welsh Government press release | WLGA press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Jan
