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Senedd Members called for meaningful reform of the “wild west” of estate management charges in memory of Labour politician Hefin David, who championed the cause.

Carolyn Thomas led a debate in the Senedd on a petition calling for the Welsh Government to commit to adopting the maintenance of new housing estates by councils.

The petitions committee chair paid tribute to her Labour colleague Hefin David, who was instrumental in highlighting the issue in the Welsh Parliament for nearly a decade.

Dr David, who died suddenly last month, pressed the Welsh and UK Governments to protect leaseholders against “huge annual fees” charged by estate management companies.

In June, he warned people living on the Cwm Calon estate in Ystrad Mynach had just had their third increase in as many years.

‘Wild west’

Senedd Members from across the political divide paid tribute to Dr David for his tireless campaigning on the issue during a debate on September 17.

Ms Thomas recalled the committee’s visit to the estate, organised by the late Caerphilly Senedd Member to highlight home owners’ understandable frustrations.

She said: “It is fitting that work continues to pursue the regulatory changes that Hefin called for with such passion and energy on behalf of his constituents.”

The north Walian told the Senedd that Dr David was practical in his approach but typically candid about the problems of a poorly regulated sector, describing it as the “wild west”.

Ms Thomas highlighted the plight of residents who submitted the petition after being hit with bills for maintenance of a park bordering The Mill estate in Canton, Cardiff.

‘Little recourse’

Conservative Joel James fully supported the recommendations of the committee’s report.

The former councillor told the chamber or Siambr: “It seems that these companies have the right to charge almost any amount for the work that they do.”

Mr James warned home owners often find themselves paying “way over the odds”, with little recourse to challenge costs under lengthy contracts.

Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent, said: “This morning, whilst I was taking my daughter to school, I walked past The Mill. But, before I walked past The Mill, I walked past Lansdowne Gardens, another fairly new development.

“One – Lansdowne Gardens – has been adopted; the other, The Mill, has not. Residents have no idea why this is the case: why down the road somebody has to pay for their road and for the pavement but somewhere else they don’t.”

‘Lining their pockets’

Mr ab Owen told Senedd Members he received an email only last week from a constituent trapped in such a development who was feeling suicidal.

Plaid Cymru’s Siân Gwenllian similarly expressed concerns about management companies “lining their own pockets”, pointing to the example of the Gwêl y Llan estate in Caernarfon.

She said: “Residents in Caernarfon and across Wales deserve fairness rather than a lack of communication and increasing fees for services that they don’t receive.”

“This is a devolved matter,” Ms Gwenllian stressed. “And it’s our duty to act but once again it seems that the Welsh Government is going to wait and see what comes from Westminster.”

Labour backbencher Alun Davies broadly agreed: “It is simply not fair on people to be placed in this situation then for ministers and for governments to stand back and simply say, ‘It’s too difficult for us to solve, so we won’t even try.’”

‘Desperately needed’

Raising the example of the Cae Ffwrnais estate in Ebbw Vale, the former minister called for a law to protect people and hold big businesses to account.

Similarly, his colleague Mike Hedges argued Wales desperately needs housing legislation.

Jayne Bryant, Wales’ housing secretary, accepted four of the committee’s recommendations but rejected calls for financial support to retrospectively adopt privately managed estates.

She said her officials are working closely with counterparts in Westminster on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act, which was passed by the Conservatives in 2024.

Ms Bryant told the Senedd the Labour UK Government has committed to further action.  

A housing estate bill – introduced by Alistair Strathern, a backbench Labour MP – is currently in the early stages of making its way through the House of Commons.