How many social houses have a) housing associations and b) local authorities sold during this Senedd and does the Welsh Government have the power to stop any further sales?
Each year Welsh Government publishes statistics on how many sales have been completed by both registered social landlords and local authorities. Please see the link to the published information social landlord housing sales April 2023 March 2024. The next release has recently been published.
Local authorities are required to seek consent under Section 32 of the Housing Act 1985 to dispose of any social housing. However, there are some exceptions to this, for example no consent is required when properties are transferred to Registered Social Landlords under approved stock transfer programmes.
The Regulation of Registered Social Landlords (Wales) Act 2018 removed the requirement for RSLs to obtain consent from the Welsh Ministers for the disposal of property and land. Instead, the Act introduced a requirement for RSLs to notify Welsh Ministers of disposals in certain specified circumstances including homes that are disposed of out of the sector.