More houses would help solve problem

THE issue of second homes and their impact on local people’s ability to afford accommodation in their own communities has been around for a very long time.

In the past it has often been mixed up with concerns over the dilution of the Welsh language in areas where it has been dominant.

This is unfortunate because the problem of affordability affects locals whatever language they speak.

By confusing two linked but separate issues the argument risks getting lost, in both senses of the word.

The reality is that in many parts of Wales there is a huge disparity between the cost of homes and the ability of many local people to afford them.

Even in Cardiff, the supposed centre of wealth in Wales, there are many people in professional jobs who find it difficult to afford to buy a house or a flat.

Yet the situation is toughest in those parts of the country where there is a combination of low wages for locals and high house prices because of the desirability of the area as a tourist destination.

With house prices in some places running at nine times the average local wage, it is clear that no realistic intervention in the market will make such homes affordable for most members of the local community.

Nevertheless, there are mitigation measures that could stop the situation getting worse and might even make things better to a degree.

Plaid Cymru’s five-point plan, which would introduce a number of regulatory measures aimed at reducing the proportion of second homes in a community, is a good starting point and it is excellent that First Minister Mark Drakeford has recognised that.

Of greater importance, however, is the need to provide more affordable houses and flats in such areas as a matter of priority.

That is a practical way of helping to ensure local people can afford to live in their own communities.

Coupled with this, of course, is the need to create more well-paid job opportunities for those who will be occupying the affordable homes.

There are no simple solutions to a problem that has been ignored for too long.

But without any kind of public sector intervention, the prospects for such communities seem extremely negative.