Image © Shutterstock
Climate Change Minister Julie James has introduced a new Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) which will see the biggest changes to social housing standards in more than 20 years.
The original standard was introduced in 2002 and following a formal public consultation last year, with more than 200 responses, an updated standard has been revealed.
Julie James said:
This is a bold and progressive standard that sets ambitious targets to make a difference to the overall quality of people’s lives, raises the bar for social housing and reflects the voice of tenants in Wales.
The standard will address decarbonisation in the social housing stock, ensure that homes are of a higher quality, affordable to heat and fit for the 21st century and beyond.
It is vital that we continue to lead the way in decarbonisation of housing and learn how to upgrade social housing effectively and efficiently, in ways which reduce carbon emissions, and energy bills for tenants.
What we learn from upgrading the 230,000 social homes in Wales will drive how we as a nation tackle decarbonising the 1.2 million privately owned homes in Wales.
The challenge of retrofitting the existing housing stock is vast. Every single house has a different history and therefore, our mission is to reduce carbon emissions home by home, and street by street.
Funding, in the region of £270 million over this term of government, is already available through the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) to help social landlords with meeting new elements relating to Affordable Warmth and Decarbonisation.
This financial year £70million has been indicatively allocated to landlords on a formula funding basis and there is a commitment for a further £70million next year.
As well focusing on affordable heat and decarbonisation, the standard also looks to improve homes in a variety of other important ways, such as improvement to the damp and mould element, broadband access and building safety.
Julie James added:
I am confident that this is the right Standard at the right time, but implementation will not be without its challenges.
As a government we will continue to work collaboratively with the sector, in the same way we have developed the standard. One of the key areas will be finding suitable long-term funding solutions in partnerships with social landlords.
It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge of upgrading social housing.
We have done it before, and together we can do it again.
We need to be pragmatic, rise to the challenge – Welsh tenants are counting on us.
