Back the Bill – the right to a good home in Wales
Wales is in the midst of a housing crisis. Demand significantly outstrips supply. Many people are unable to afford homes in their local communities. And, for some, the suitability – and safety – of their home is grossly inadequate. It was the housing crisis that contributed to the tragic circumstances of the Grenfell fire in North London in 2017, claiming 72 lives. We must put measures in place to avoid this ever happening again.
The publication of the recent White Paper on securing a path towards adequate housing contains some positive steps forward. However, it falls short of fundamental change and ambition which can only be delivered through hard-wiring a legal commitment to providing housing as a human right.
You can read our Campaign Alternative White Paper in the picture >>
or in this link: Campaign Alternative White Paper
We also have a Roadmap, outlining how the right to a good home in Wales can be realised: Roadmap to the Right to Adequate Housing
77% of people in Wales supported a legal right to housing in research carried out in 2020.
Nearly 70% of Chief Executives from housing associations across Wales agree with us and have actively signed the pledge – alongside leaders from charities including Llamau, Crisis, Care & Repair Cymru and Amnesty International
We believe that at the core of any solution to the housing crisis is a national commitment to the fundamental principle that every one of us should have a human right – underpinned by law – to access adequate and sustainable housing.
Our Feasibility Report showed the route map to how to achieve this and the next step of our call is a Draft Bill incorporating Right to Adequate Housing into Welsh law.
Pledge your support
Find out more
Read the draft bill in English
A Bill for the right to adequate housing would create a legislative framework to help address some of the key issues of the day:
Homelessness: ensuring we build on some of the measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis, including maximising investment in social housing and support
Security of tenure: strengthening the position of Welsh Government in its rights-based approach, better balancing the rights of tenants to live in security with those of private landlords
Accessible housing: ensuring proper consideration of disabled people’s rights in a housing context, giving them a voice to have those rights recognised and, if needed, enforced
Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, young people and other minority or disadvantaged groups’ access to affordable housing: where local authorities would need to consider the needs of particularly disadvantaged groups in the development of local strategies and the supply of affordable homes
Resource: will push housing up the policy priority list and in turn ensure increased focus of resource and investment, tackling the chronic under-supply of housing as well as support services
- Back the Bill Responds to the White Paper on Adequate Housing
- Plan to give people Right to a good home rejected
- Publication of the White Paper on Adequate Housing and Fair Rents
- Welsh Government launches Green Paper on right to adequate housing and fair rents
- Wales can lead the way’ on housing as a human right
- Back the Bill campaign shows Wales can lead the way globally on housing as a human right
- Right to adequate housing’ in Welsh Labour & Plaid agreement
- Back the Bill campaign launches major research into right to housing in Wales
- Right to housing backed by key signatories
- Housing organisations urge politicians to “Back the Bill
- Welsh housing organisations welcome committee’s call to recognise ‘due regard’ in legislation
- Right to housing to feature as ‘due regard’ duty in new bill
Interview with #BackTheBill partner Matthew Dicks from Chartered Institute of Housing on BBC Radio Wales around our response to the White Paper publication on Adequate Housing. Listen to the interview from 08.08 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00243h2
Campaign on Sharp End November 30th | Wales Programmes (itv.com)
Future Generations Commissioner on Right to Housing
Cymdeithas yr Iaith – Yr Hawl i Dai Digonol – Back the Bill contribution to panel session
The right to adequate housing in Wales: Feasibility Report
On 18th of June 2019 Tai Pawb, CIH Cymru and Shelter Cymru launched a jointly-commissioned report from Alma Economics looking at the positive impacts that incorporating the UN-enshrined right to adequate housing would have in Wales in helping to tackle the housing crisis.
The right to adequate housing in Wales: the evidence base
Phase 1 of our research looked at international comparisons. While there has been a mix of approaches in using rights-based legislation for housing – including in South Africa, Canada and sub-regional parts of Spain, results are varied; Finland was shown to be making good progress. Learning lessons from other countries, the research has demonstrated that Wales has the opportunity to lead the way and become a world-leader in its approach to housing as a human right.
Phase 1 report – Executive Summary English
Phase 1 report – Full Report English
Phase 1 report – Executive Summary Cymraeg
Phase 1 report –Full Report Cymraeg
The right to adequate housing in Wales: cost-benefit analysis
Phase 2 of our research has looked at how introducing a right to adequate housing would generate significant savings for the public purse. The report considered various policy areas where benefits would be generated, including in health and well-being, the criminal justice system and local authorities. Based on projections in this paper, the benefits could start to outweigh the costs after just six years.
Phase 2 – full report in English
Phase 2 – full report yn Gymraeg
Back the Bill Roadmap: A route for the right to adequate housing in Wales
The summer of 2024 will see a White Paper on introducing a right to adequate housing and fair rents in Wales. Ahead of this consultation, we hope this guide can act as a useful tool for those wanting to learn more about what a right to adequate housing could look like in Wales.
Back the Bill Alternative White Paper
he publication of the recent White Paper on securing a path towards adequate housing contains some positive steps forward. However, it falls short of fundamental change and ambition which can only be delivered through hard-wiring a legal commitment to providing housing as a human right.
“If not now, then when? If not us, then who?”
Watch former Director of Shelter Cymru John Puzey speaking to Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe about the Back the Bill campaign and why it is crucial that a right to adequate housing be enshrined into Welsh Law
Support us on social media
Here are some suggested tweets to show your support:
Individual
I believe in a Wales where the threats of homelessness, inaccessibility and unaffordability are things of the past #BacktheBill
I #BacktheBill for the right to a good home in Wales. Every one of us should have a human right – underpinned by law – to access adequate and sustainable housing
Organisation
We #BacktheBill to recognise #housing as a fundamental right in Wales
We #BacktheBill for a right to a good home in Wales, helping address some of the key #housing issues of the day such as homelessness, accessibility and affordability
