20,000 affordable homes target to be exceeded by end of government term

The Welsh Government target to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2021 will be met – and exceeded – Housing Minister Julie James has announced.

With 12 months’ of official figures still to come, the latest statistics show just under 3,000 new affordable homes were delivered in the 2019-20 financial year bringing the total number of homes delivered to 19,000.

The figures released today highlight the Welsh Government has delivered the highest annual level of social homes since records began in 2008.

The next set of official statistics, which will confirm the 20,000 affordable homes target has been met, will be published in the autumn.

Operational data suggests this target will be exceeded by March.

Housing Minister Julie James said:

“I’m thrilled to say we will comfortably hit our affordable homes target this term. The increase in affordable housing is a direct result of our record investment in housing during this term.

“These are high-quality, energy efficient, warm homes, which have been built to last and, really importantly, are also affordable to run.

“The last year has been challenging for everyone and it is fantastic to see that despite the pandemic and the impact it has had on house builders and Registered Social Landlords, we have still been able to build much-needed affordable homes at pace and scale.

“Our own data tells us that we have hit and exceeded the 20,000 target.”

The Welsh Government has invested more than £2bn in housing across Wales this Senedd term, including £33m in the latest phase of the Innovative Housing Programme and more than £89m in the Social Housing Grant in 2020-21.

Funding will continue in the next financial year with more than £200m earmarked for building homes that people can afford to buy and live in.

The Minister added:

“Ensuring everyone in Wales can have a high-quality, affordable home is a top priority for this government and is key to our commitment of tackling and ending homelessness.

“Affordable, secure and quality housing is at the heart of any community – enabling people and families to flourish in all aspects of their lives. We will not stop at 20,000 and we will continue to deliver housing for those who need it.”

Joanna Davoile, director of development at Wales and West Housing, said:

“Having a comfortable, safe and genuinely affordable home is more important than ever. Wales and West Housing is committed to helping Welsh Government meet its target of building 20,000 affordable homes by the end of the current Senedd term.  

“We plan to build 2,500 homes over the next five years and have more than 900 new homes already under construction across Wales.

“These include modern, energy-efficient homes in many Welsh local authority areas from Cardiff to Carmarthenshire, Conwy to Wrexham and across Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. We are building a mixture of family homes, apartments, extra-care accommodation and specialist supported living accommodation to meet the needs of local communities. 

“Our affordable housing developments will support the local construction economy in Wales and create communities where our residents will be able to thrive.”