Welsh Conservatives and the politics of housing

The Welsh Conservative housing policy launch is the latest in a series of eye-catching ideas designed to establish the party in Wales as one with plenty of ideas and one very clearly on the centre-right of the political spectrum.

Its right to buy proposal will be the one to raise most eyebrows. The policy has been widely seen as one which has caused housing shortages rather than helped them and the Welsh Government battled the UK Government to win the power to suspend it in areas of housing pressure.

The Tories, however, see it as 'empowering' and believe they've dealt with the downside by linking the proceeds with new housebuilding. It seems unlikely the Welsh Government will pick up any of these ideas though: it has its own Housing Plan and a Housing Bill due to be introduced to the Assembly.