‘WALES IS NOT FOR SALE’ MESSAGE FOR CORONATION
Rally in Caernarfon will aim to highlight wealth gap between London and N.Wales
A TOWN centre rally to be staged over Coronation weekend will spell out the wealth gap between London and North Wales.
The May event will aim to draw attention to the region’s housing crisis two days after King Charles takes the throne.
The Wales is Not for Sale (Nid yw Cymru ar Werth) rally will be held on the Maes in Caernarfon on May 8 by Cymdeithas yr Iaith (Welsh Language Society).
King Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle 53 years ago.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith said the housing rally will highlight the “crowning of privilege” event at Westminster Abbey and contrast it with the lack of affordable housing for people in Wales.
Cymdeithas spokesperson Osian Jones expects “hundreds, if not thousands” of people to attend the rally.
Speakers will be demanding the Welsh Government introduces a Property Act to enable houses to be treated as social assets and “not as commercial assets to be exploited”.
He said: “There will be a clear contrast between the celebration of privilege and wealth in London. We need to act for people who despair of having a home, and we need to take a stand for the future of our Welsh communities, before it’s too late.”
The coronation takes place on May 6.
The exact timings have not yet been announced.
The housing rally, on the Bank Holiday Monday, gets under way at 1pm, with live music from 11.30am.
Jeff Smith, who sits on Cymdeithas’s sustainable communities group, said pressure from campaigners is bearing fruit.
“Last week, Climate Change Minister Julie James announced a number of further practical steps to alleviate the situation,” he said.
“New proposals include looking into enabling local authorities to provide mortgages to help people afford a home in their local area.
“Flexibility in the Home Purchase Scheme is also promising. But these are only measures to mitigate the effects of housing problems. The measures are not ambitious enough.
“The operation of the housing market, the vulnerable position of private tenants and the shortage of social housing is a problem throughout Wales.
“Instead of solutions that will only reduce the problem, we call on the Government to seize the opportunity to present in this parliamentary term a complete Property Act to control the market, empower our communities and give our people the right to a home locally.”