Commenting on reports that Persimmon Homes, one of Wales’ largest house building firms, will no longer build houses in parts of the South Wales Valleys due to low house prices and excessive red tape, Mark Isherwood AM, Shadow Minister for Communities and Housing, said:
“This is evidence from a major employer that the Welsh Labour Government is holding back the construction industry, which is a key player in the Welsh economy.
“It is indefensible that Labour red tape adds thousands of pounds on to the cost of building a home in Wales compared to parts of England, which risks constraining supply of affordable housing even further.
“Carwyn Jones and his lazy Labour Ministers must take their hands out of their pockets, open their minds and start removing the barriers to new housing and economic growth that they have created.
“This follows comments at a construction event this week, which noted that Wales is lagging behind in the building recovery and the latest year on year National House Building Council figures, which show that new homes registrations in England are up 34%, but down 32% in Wales.
“The Welsh Government also needs to give its housing taskforce teeth so it can contribute to the design as well as the delivery of a whole market approach to properly stimulate the Welsh housing sector and to tackle the Welsh housing supply crisis.”
