#Senedd21 Make your voice heard

#Senedd21 Manifesto Comparison

We have read the manifestos published by the main political parties standing in the elections and compared their policy commitments to the five ‘asks’ that we included in our manifesto. Over the next few pages we have included quotes taken directly from the manifestos and additional notes where political parties have provided us with further information or clarification. We have used a traffic light system to ‘grade’ the commitments, based on how closely they align with our policy ‘asks’ and/or how much detail is provided.

Contents 1. Implement the Homelessness Action Group recommendations pg. 2 2. Protect and increase the Housing Support Grant pg. 4 3. Deliver 20,000 energy efficient social homes pg. 5 4. Recognise and reward homelessness and support workers pg. 6 5. Improve access to mental health services pg. 7

You can download the following political party manifestos in full: • Welsh Conservatives • • Abolish the Assembly • Reform UK • Green Party • UKIP Wales •

p.s. We’re very happy for political parties to contact us and give us further clarity and assurance about their commitment to delivering our five policy asks - just email [email protected] Implement the Homelessness Action #1 Group recommendations

Welsh Labour Manifesto commitments: • We will develop a national scheme restricting rent to local housing allowance levels for families and young people who are priced out of the private rental market and those who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness. We will ensure Rent Smart Wales landlords respond quickly to complaints of racism and hate crime and offer appropriate support. Additional notes • The Welsh Labour Government has committed to implementing the Homelessness Action Group recommendations. • At the Here for Homes hustings MS said: “We will have to repeal Section 74, we’ll have to end priority need and intentionality.” Welsh Manifesto commitments: Conservatives • Introduce a “housing first” model for supporting homeless people • Appoint a Homelessness Commissioner, ideally someone who has experienced homelessness to work with stakeholders to tackle rough sleeping and its causes in Wales by 2026 • Immediately bring 150 empty social housing properties back into use specifically for people who are at risk of homelessness Plaid Cymru Manifesto commitments: • We will end child hunger, fuel poverty and homelessness within 5 years • We will enshrine the right to housing in law. • We will make Housing First the default option for anyone with complex needs who is experiencing homelessness and appoint a national director for Housing First throughout Wales. • We will require local authorities to adopt a rapid rehousing model, whereby anyone experiencing homelessness is guaranteed their own room, not merely floorspace for 12 hours a day, as immediate emergency accommodation. • We will repeal section 74 of the Housing Act Wales (2014) which allows local authorities to end their duty of help to people still known to be homeless. • We will bring a permanent end to the implementation of No Recourse to Public Funds conditions in Wales, so that everyone in Wales who needs to, is able to access housing and homelessness services. • We will abolish the priority need system by the end of this Senedd term. • We will the scrap the bedroom tax as soon as we have the power to do so. • We will introduce a Fair Rents Bill to provide tenancies of indefinite duration and end no-fault evictions. All rents will need to be assessed as fair and there will be a rent cap for increases. We will give local authorities the power to set a Living Rent rule which will cap rent in rental pressure zones at a maximum of one third of local average income. In the social rented sector, we will also adopt a living rent model which links rent with local income, ending the current freedom for housing associations to raise rent above inflation. • We will introduce an Emergency Mortgage Rescue Scheme giving people the option to become tenants rather than face eviction. • We will grant local authorities and housing associations greater discretion to avoid evictions when arrears are caused by welfare cuts. We will end the placement of under-18s in bed and breakfast accommodation. • We will work with the police to ensure that in situations of domestic abuse, the default position will be that it is the victims who have the right to remain in their accommodation. 2 Welsh Liberal Manifesto commitments: Democrats • End homelessness through a mixture of house building, funding for services, and new legislation to ensure nobody goes without the help they need to escape homelessness. • We will change the way services and community partners work together so they can help people to cope long before they end up on the street. Where we can’t prevent homelessness, we will ensure that people are supported into a suitable and secure home as soon as possible. • We will introduce a cross-government and cross-public services plan to achieve the systemic change needed to end homelessness in Wales. • We will invest heavily in Housing First, one of the most effective models in tackling street homelessness, wherein people are moved rapidly into housing and intense support is given to help them keep a roof over their heads. We will commit to scaling up this approach in every local authority. • We will roll out the current “private sector leasing scheme” more widely. Under this scheme, private landlords can choose to lease their properties to councils for five years, providing housing for people on low incomes or with experience of homelessness. • We will introduce a new Housing Act to simplify the law to ensure that people aren’t left out of support because of who they are, where they’re from, or how they became homeless, and ensure that public services work together to prevent and end homelessness. • A Bill of Rights to incorporate UN Conventions into Welsh Law, including: A Right to Adequate Housing. Abolish the Manifesto commitments: No reference to homelessness in manifesto. Assembly Reform UK Manifesto commitments: No reference to homelessness in manifesto. Wales Green Manifesto commitments: Party • Ending homelessness as a priority and giving those in need of housing a voice in planning processes, in conjunction with attention to removing the causes of homelessness e.g., better mental health, addiction services and financial inclusion support. • Creating price stability in housing by regulating to make speculation in housing less attractive and to increase the housing supply. Returning to the principle that houses are homes and not primarily investments. • Revived youth services use school buildings, community police, counsellors and youth workers as resources for children at risk of drug, sexual exploitation, homelessness and alcohol abuse. UKIP Wales Manifesto commitments: • End the scourge of homeless Veterans in Wales by 2025 by making available affordable rent houses every year for Veterans and building halfway house hostels for homeless veterans in Cardiff. Propel Manifesto commitments: • Reform Local Development Plans to deliver affordable local housing based on local need • We will commit to a ‘housing first’ policy to end Welsh homelessness. • The package will also bring in an annual Service Charge cap for leaseholders, linked to the Consumer Price Index, and stipulate not to grant building contracts to existing developers until they have rectified dangerous fire cladding in previous developments. • Set compulsory targets for local authorities to bring long-term empty properties back into use. • A guarantee that all military veterans who have seen active service will be prioritised for public housing and healthcare. 3 Protect and increase the Housing #2 Support Grant

Welsh Labour Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Additional notes • At the Here for Homes hustings, Julie James MS said in response to a question about maintaining the ring-fence and increasing the HSG: “I was delighted to put an extra £40m into the HSG this year.” (Reflecting on the efforts during COVID) “The HSG is absolutely pivotal to that, without the support for those people going into housing, sometimes for the first time, [...] we would never have been able to do what we’ve been able to do, so it’s absolutely pivotal to that and it’s a fundamental part of our housing strategy that we have the HSG. I can absolutely tell Katie that we will of course, if Welsh Labour are the next government, be putting the HSG front and centre of our housing policy, as we always have.” Welsh Manifesto commitments: Conservatives • Ringfence the funding for the Housing Support Grant for a period of three years. Additional notes • At the Here for Homes hustings, MS said in response to a Q about maintaining the ring-fence and increasing the HSG: “It’s our policy to support schemes of this nature.” “It costs, but it’s not an exorbitant cost. It’s one that should be happily invested in. I do think that if you’re looking at housing policy, especially for the most vulnerable, then you have to be looking at housing support, it’s simply as important as building houses.” Plaid Cymru Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Additional notes • At the Here for Homes hustings, MS said in response to a Q about maintaining the ring-fence and increasing the HSG: “Yes, we absolutely will commit to protecting this funding and increasing spending on homelessness.” Welsh Liberal Manifesto commitments: Democrats • We will increase the Housing Support Grant by £25m over the Senedd term. Abolish the Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Assembly Reform UK Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Wales Green Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Party UKIP Wales Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto. Propel Manifesto commitments: No reference to HSG in manifesto.

4 Deliver 20,000 energy efficient social #3 homes

Welsh Labour Manifesto commitments: • Build 20,000 new, low carbon social homes for rent. We will also support cooperative housing, community-led initiatives, and community land trusts. We will continue to improve existing homes, helping us tackle fuel poverty, create much needed jobs, training opportunities, and supply chains. Welsh Manifesto commitments: Conservatives • We will launch an ambitious target to build 100,000 homes over the next 10 years, whilst ensuring enough affordable housing in our local communities, including 40,000 social homes. • Set a target for all new homes to be zero carbon by 2026. Support households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes with vouchers up to £5,000, with households on low incomes receiving up to £10,000 Plaid Cymru Manifesto commitments: • We will build or convert 50,000 public homes over the next five years – 30,000 council houses or other social housing, 5,000 cost-rental homes at intermediate rent, and 15,000 genuinely affordable homes to buy. These will include some of the 26,000 empty homes, and empty flats above shops, across Wales that will be brought back into use. • Retrofit thousands of homes to the highest environmental standards. Welsh Liberal Manifesto commitments: Democrats • Build 30,000 new social homes for rent, ensuring that people on low incomes or with experience of homelessness can access a safe and secure home. • Invest record sums in retrofitting housing to be accessible, greener, and more energy efficient Abolish the Manifesto commitments: No reference to social house building targets in Assembly manifesto. Reform UK Manifesto commitments: No reference to social house building targets in manifesto. Wales Green Manifesto commitments: Party • will build 12,000 new homes every year, built to the highest environmental and energy efficiency standards. The majority of these new houses will be for social housing to meet the urgent need. • We will ensure sufficient, ongoing investment to enable the retrofitting of existing housing stock to the highest energy efficient standards, lifting thousands out of fuel poverty • All new housing will be built to zero carbon standards, meaning lower bills and a better quality of life. The built environment is an important habitat for species and design of new housing and renovations will take this into account. • Ensuring sufficient, ongoing investment, and collaborative funding schemes, to enable the retrofitting of existing housing stock to the highest energy efficiency standards through the GTFW Green Bonds issues and opportunities for local investment in community energy. Remove the 5% VAT currently charged on refurbishment materials. UKIP Wales Manifesto commitments: No reference to social house building targets in manifesto. Propel Manifesto commitments: No reference to social house building targets in manifesto.

5 Recognise and reward homelessness #4 and support workers

Welsh Labour Manifesto commitments: • In the face of a global pandemic, the dedication of the social care workforce has inspired a nation. Welsh Labour will deliver the Real Living Wage for all our social care staff. • We will progress the Fair Work Commission’s recommendations and make Wales a genuinely Fair Work Nation. • Strengthen our Economic Contract so inclusive growth, fair work, decarbonisation and improved mental health at work are at the heart of everything we do. Additional notes • At the Here for Homes hustings, Julie James MS said that homelessness and housing support workers would be included in the RLW commitment. Welsh Manifesto commitments: Conservatives • Introduce a Welsh Minimum Care Wage of £10 per hour to boost the pay of care workers across Wales in recognition of their vital work Additional notes • We don’t know whether this includes homelessness/housing support workers. Plaid Cymru Manifesto commitments: • Work with providers to ensure care workers pay, terms and conditions are brought progressively into line with those of NHS staff, starting with making a £10 minimum wage mandatory for any care provider in receipt of public funds and addressing sick pay. Additional notes • At the Here for Homes hustings, Delyth Jewell MS said that homelessness and housing support workers would be included in this commitment. Welsh Liberal Manifesto commitments: Democrats • We commit to making Wales a Real Living Wage and Living Hours nation • Ensure that all care workers are paid fairly by equalising pay and conditions across the NHS and social care and ensuring that all care workers are paid the Real Living Wage. • There is evidence that workplace counselling can halve sickness absence by increasing employee resilience and wellbeing. We must ensure that staff have access to the support they need. • Embed principles of fair work within all organisations. Additional notes • The Welsh Liberal Democrats have confirmed that homelessness and housing support workers would be included in the RLW commitment. Abolish the Manifesto commitments: No reference in manifesto. Assembly Reform UK Manifesto commitments: No reference in manifesto. Wales Green Manifesto commitments: Party • Improving wages and working conditions for frontline workers, partly through UBI, but also through improved public service and care workers pay settlements, workers’ rights in collective bargaining, employment rights and health and safety. UKIP Wales Manifesto commitments: No reference in manifesto. Propel Manifesto commitments: No reference in manifesto. 6 Improve access to mental health #5 services

Welsh Labour Manifesto commitments: • Prioritise investment in mental health services to help with long-term recovery from the pandemic. We will invest in our workforce, training people to provide early support with mental wellbeing and resilience. We will prioritise service redesign to improve prevention, tackle stigma and promote a no-wrong-door approach to mental health support for all. • Deliver better access to GP, dental and optometry services. We will continue to reform primary care, bringing together GP services with pharmacy, therapy, housing, social care, mental health, community and third sector partners to support people to stay well. • Build on the success of our Whole School Approach to mental health for children and young people by rolling out child and adolescent mental health services ‘in-reach’ in schools across Wales. We will support mental wellbeing across our communities working with arts, sports, and voluntary organisations. • Strengthen our Economic Contract so inclusive growth, fair work, decarbonisation and improved mental health at work are at the heart of everything we do. • Work with schools to help them meet the mental health challenges many young learners face, including additional counselling provision throughout the next Senedd term. • We will introduce an all-Wales framework to roll out social prescribing to tackle isolation. Welsh Manifesto commitments: Conservatives • Urgently establish routes of support for people suffering with mental health problems as a result of the pandemic, especially NHS staff, care workers and families who have experienced trauma due to patients being alone at the time of their death • Create a mother and baby unit in North Wales for mums with severe post- natal mental health challenges • Transform mental health by treating it with the same priority as physical health • Undertake a fundamental review of mental health services through a Commission on Mental Health, with service users, families, professionals and the charity sector • Introduce a new Mental Health Act, to replace outdated legislation and ensure the latest thinking is incorporated in to mental health provision • Establish and publish targets on waiting times for mental health treatment for key issues including eating disorders • Increase spending on mental health and wellbeing services in real terms in each and every year of the next Welsh Parliament • Create a network of mental health crisis centres that are open around the clock for people to access in mental health emergencies • Ensure that mental health treatments are utilising the latest technology and work with Universities to make Wales a leader in mental health treatment • Increase the capacity of mental health services for children and young people to prevent placements at great distances from their loved ones • Ensure that all schools, colleges and universities have mental health and wellbeing services for learners to access

7 Plaid Cymru Manifesto commitments: • Make health equality our goal in Government, with an emphasis on preventative measures that improve mental health and encourage physical activity. • Invest in the Youth Service and Youth Centres in every area – ensuring they include professionals offering mental health advice. • We commit to increasing the resources allocated to mental and emotional health year on year over the course of the next five years. • We will establish a network of Youth Wellbeing Centres for mental and physical health support for young people who are not ill enough to require advanced psychiatric treatment, yet need help. • Provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other talking therapies more widely. • Include the rehabilitation and treatment of those with eating disorders in our mental health provision. • Ensure that mental and emotional health becomes woven into the core of health practice to help limit hospital admissions. • Promote emotional resilience and good mental health in schools and post-16 education providers and youth centres. • Invest in school nursing and Child & Adolescent Mental Health services. • Ensure counselling is available in primary care and GPs have access to resources locally to direct people appropriately. • Explore access to mental health services as part of occupational health services and seek ways to make this support available to all employers. • Extending and standardising access to perinatal mental health services across Wales, including extending access to specialist mother and baby units within Wales Welsh Liberal Manifesto commitments: Democrats • We will take a holistic approach to the social factors and root causes of poor mental health and wellbeing, connecting people to a range of professional and community-led support services. • We will create a step-change in our approach to mental health, increasing the share of funding to 13% of all NHS spend by 2028. • A 24/7 mental health crisis care system • Improved access and choice in psychological therapies • Reducing waiting times for services • In addition to an increased focus in schools on health and wellbeing, we will provide an active offer of advocacy to support young people to get the care they need. • Ensure Ministerial responsibility for Mental Health, ensuring collaboration and partnership working across government. • Deliver a whole school approach to mental health, as set out in the new curriculum, and roll out trauma-informed practice in all schools so that staff are able to act as first responders. • Improve mental health support and treatment within the criminal justice system and ensure continuity of mental health care and addiction treatment. Abolish the Manifesto commitments: No reference to mental health in manifesto. Assembly Reform UK Manifesto commitments: • We believe the NHS should treat mental health on an equal footing with physical health • Invest in community services to ensure everyone gets the support they need on mental health and normalise mental illness with powerful health promotion campaigns

8 Wales Green Manifesto commitments: Party • Ensure that the needs of all peoples in our society are proofed across service delivery through an improved robust remit for the Minister of Equality. From young people to older people, from sexual and gender equality to religious equality, equality for people with physical and sensory impairments, mental health issues or who are neuro-diverse, and embracing all our ethnic, religious and social groups in Wales. • Increase funding for areas of the NHS heavily relied on by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer and Asexual (LGBTIQA+) people, including trans healthcare, HIV treatment and mental health provision. UKIP Wales Manifesto commitments: • Charge one elected member of each local health board to champion mental health provision. • Direct patients diagnosed with a debilitating long-term condition or terminal illnesses to mental health professionals when appropriate. • Ring-fence mental health funding at a higher level than is currently the case. • Incentivise local authorities to protect the mental health services they provide and to reverse cuts in community mental health services. • Support provision of evidence-based psychological therapies, e.g. CBT within 28 days of referral. • Introduce formal and comprehensive data collection on the relative success of talking therapies as compared to drugbased treatment. Improve psychological therapies for children and young people across Wales. • Invest in the assessment and treatment of ADHD, autism and other neuro- developmental conditions, including more severe conditions where young people develop psychosis. • Promote Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services as an avenue for the most severe cases • Ensure that mental health services are given parity with physical health services and that this is reflected in staffing and budget allocations, and investigate the causes of increased mental health issues in order to tackle them at source • Ensure that proper provision is made for mental health care for Veterans, especially those who have served on active operations. Health Care and Local Authorities will be obliged to provide fast-track mental health treatment and provision of services for Veterans Propel • Significant additional funding for mental health support for both adults and children.

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