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.
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.
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
- 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
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
Pledge your support
We ask you to join us in calling for housing to be recognised as a fundamental right in Wales by filling in the form below to become a signatory to the Draft Bill:
Read our full privacy policy here
(this list is updated periodically)
Alicja Zalesinska
CEO, Tai Pawb
Matthew Dicks
Director, CIH Cymru
Ruth Power
Director, Shelter Cymru
John Puzey
Individual
Sophie Howe
Future Generations Commissioner, Wales
Michael Sheen
Actor and activist
Mark Isherwood MS
On behalf of the Welsh Conservatives
Jane Dodds
On behalf of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
Delyth Jewell MS
On behalf of Plaid Cymru
Clare Budden
CEO, Clwyd Alyn
Victoria Slade
CEO, Cynon Taf Community Housing
Ffrancon Williams
CEO, Adra
Paula Kennedy
CEO, Melin Homes
Hayley Selway
CEO, Cardiff Community Housing Assoc.
Jason Wroe
CEO, Newydd Housing
Sian Morgan
CEO, Hafan Cymru
Jas Bains
CEO, Hafod Group
Karen Courts
CEO, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Assoc.
Andrew Bowden
CEO, Cartrefi Conwy
Shan Williams
CEO, Grwp Cynefin
Adrian Burke
CEO, First Choice Housing Assoc.
Scott Sanders
CEO, Linc Cymru
Marcia Sinfeld
CEO, Family Housing Assoc.
Amanda Davies
Group CEO, Pobl
Nick Hampshire
CEO, Ateb
Cerys Furlong
CEO, Chwarae Teg
Helena Kirk
CEO, North Wales Housing
Michelle Reid
CEO, Merthyr Valleys Homes
Luke Takeuchi
CEO, RHA Wales
Lynda Sagona
CEO, United Welsh
Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce
CEO, The Wallich
Frances Beecher
CEO, Llamau & Chair, EYHC
Victoria Winckler
Director, Bevan Foundation
Jon Sparkes
CEO, Crisis
Katie Dalton
Director, Cymorth Cymru
Kath Palmer
CEO, Cadwyn
David Wilton
Director, TPAS Cymru
Hugh Russell
End Youth Homelessness Cymru (EYHC)
Catherine Fookes
Director, WEN Wales
Rebecca Woolley
Director, CAB Cymru
Prof Geraldine Van Bueren QC
Queen Mary University of London
Dr Helen Taylor
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Rocio Cifuentes
CEO, EYST
Allison Hulmes
National Director, BASW
Zoe Richards
CEO, Learning Disability Wales
Zoё King
Acting Joint CEO, Diverse Cymru
Owain Hanmer
Education Officer, Undod
Jess McQuail
Director, Just Fair
Dr Pete Mackie
Cardiff University
Judith Bueno de Mesquita
University of Essex
Dr Kolda Casla
University of Essex
Prof. Colin Harvey
Queen’s University Belfast
Dr Luke D. Graham
Lecturer in Law, Coventry University
Dr Meghan Campbell
Deputy Director, Oxford Human Rights Hub
Dr Azadeh Chalabi
University of Liverpool
Dr Claire Lougarre
University of Southampton
Kelly Roberts
Together Creating Communities
Sian Summers-Rees
Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
Joy Kent
Independent consultant
Keith Edwards
Independent consultant
Bill Rowlands
Individual
Joy Williams
Individual
Acorn Cardiff
Community union
Miriam Merkova
Individual
Leanne Lewis
Individual
Hannah Mason
Individual
Prof Rory O’Connell
Ulster University
Dave O’Connor
Individual
Katyanne Denby
Individual
Farida Aslam
Individual
Paul Diggory
Individual
Claire White
Individual
Carol Kay
Individual
Hayley Jones
Individual
Joshua Dowdall
Individual
Jonathan Conway
Individual
Hayley Broad
Individual
Natalie Warner
Individual
Gareth Leech
Individual
Faye Patton
Individual
“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
