Caravan dumped

Caravan dumped near Welsh Government office over lack of response to housing crisis

Cymdeithas yr Iaith members have left an old caravan with the words "Hawl i Gartref" [Right to a Home] and their 'dragon's tongue' symbol painted on its side outside the Welsh Government's office in Carmarthen tonight (Thursday night, 24 October).

The direct action comes as a protest against the Welsh Government's White Paper on Adequate Housing, Fair Rents and Affordability, published today, which, according to the movement, is far too weak to address the housing crisis facing Welsh communities.

A spokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith said:

"The intention of dumping the caravan tonight is to symbolically ask the government if they expect many of our young people to live in old caravans, seeing as they cannot afford houses in their communities. The caravan is also symbolic of the failure of the Welsh Government's housing policy over 25 years: insufficient, inadequate and short-term.

"Communities across Wales are facing a crisis, with families and young people being forced to leave because of the growing gap between the cost of housing to rent or buy and local wages. Instead of recognizing the extent of the crisis and the failure of the open housing market, our Government continues to put its faith in small interventions here and there.

"Establishing the right to a home through a transformative Property Act, and ensuring that houses are treated as a community need instead of commercial assets, is the only way to alleviate this crisis. Unfortunately, the Government's plans don't come close to that."