Written question WQ99320

Local authorities remain responsible for the allocation of social housing in their areas and are required, under section 167 of the Housing Act 1996, to maintain allocation schemes which determine priorities and procedures.

Legislation requires reasonable preference to be given to those in the greatest housing need, while allowing local authorities flexibility to reflect local circumstances. For this reason, local authorities should work closely with social landlords and other key partners to ensure allocation policies respond effectively to the needs of their communities.

This approach is informed by work undertaken by Alma Economics and commissioned by the Welsh Government undertaken in 2024 - Exploring the Allocation of Social Housing in Wales, which highlights the importance of stronger partnership working between local authorities and other housing providers to ensure those in greatest housing need are prioritised effectively.

The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026 builds on the evidence to date and introduces reforms designed to maximise the use of social housing for those in greatest need, while improving transparency, consistency and public understanding of allocation decisions and procedures.

The Act will be subject to ongoing review to evaluate its implementation and impact, including the changes to allocation law. Combined with the new data requirements of the Act, this will provide a robust evidence base on how social housing allocation approaches change as a result of these reforms.

Given the scale of these changes, I do not consider it appropriate to undertake a separate review of allocation policies ahead of implementation of the Act. My priority is to deliver these reforms and assess their impact in practice.