90,000 on waiting list for a home

ONE of the advantages of making a speech in the Lords is that you can take a subject and relate it to your own area.

Last week I was able to do just that. I was able to talk about the lack of affordable housing in Wales and talk about our economy in Conwy as well.

The number of people on waiting lists for a home continues to rise - I remember being in a housing conference a number of years ago and discussing the 80,000 households in Wales who were on the list and now, according to Shelter Cymru, that figure has risen to 90,000.

I was a Colwyn Borough Councillor when the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher brought in the Right to Buy council houses and I couldn’t understand why the government wouldn’t allow us to use the money we received to build new homes. I support the rights of people to buy homes they’ve paid rent on for years but the system the government put in of creating housing associations and allowing them to build new homes just hasn’t kept up with demand.

This present Conservative government is now introducing the Right to Buy housing associations homes as well. Again, I can understand the logic - but how will they build the replacement homes which will be needed? Some housing g associations are charities harities as well and Peers are already asking howow the government cann force the sale of f homes that are looked after by Trustees.

I also talked about how dependent we are in Conwy on tourism and how this s leads to part timeme and seasonal work.

I was really proudoud to highlight some of the work that’s been done in our area to create an all year round tourism econ- omy and invited their Lordships to visit Snowdonia and use High Ropes to climb from tree top to tree top; to have themselves strapped to the longest zip wire in the northern hemisphere and speed across a slate quarry; to bounce to their hearts’ content on trampolines in underground caverns or, from August to come to Surf Snowdonia. And, judgingj gg by their chuckles, their Lordships’Lor imagination m must have been work working overtime!!

I always look forw ward to the fresh a air at weekends b back home in the Conwy Valley. Joining my Rotary c colleagues at L Llanrwst Gala on Su Sunday, the highlig light for me was taki taking a few minutes to sit sit, view and enjoy the excellentexc photography and art work of 12 to 14 year olds from Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy. I know which my favourites were!