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Wales’ housing minister has been accused of “celebrating failure” after confirming the Welsh Government will miss a target to build 20,000 social homes.

Labour’s manifesto for the 2021 Senedd election pledged to “deliver 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent” – one of six key commitments to the nation before polling day.

But, in a statement to the Senedd on Tuesday (November 18), Jayne Bryant said the Welsh Government was forecasting 18,652 low-carbon homes for rent by the May 2026 deadline.

The housing secretary faced cross-party criticism, with Plaid Cymru accusing ministers of focusing on interpreting data in a “fanciful way” rather than tackling a deepening crisis.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives suggested the official figures were “inflated” with properties added that are “not new builds, not low carbon and not for social rent”.

‘Deliberate deception’

Joel James, the Tory shadow housing secretary, raised an Audit Wales report which called for a longer-term approach to planning and funding beyond the five-year target.

He highlighted warnings from the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru that this year’s budget falls well short of what is needed to achieve the 20,000 aim.

His Conservative colleague Mark Isherwood accused the Welsh Government of dismissing warnings of a looming housing crisis for decades.

He told the Senedd: “You only set a target to deliver 20,000 new low-carbon homes for social rent this Senedd term, and you now say your forecasts have delivered 18,652 low-carbon homes for rent within the social sector.

“Given you have inflated this – by adding homes that are not new builds, not low carbon and not for social rent, including homes for intermediate rent and shared ownership…, why should you not be accused of deliberate deception in your statement today?”

David Rees, the Senedd’s deputy speaker or Dirprwy Lywydd, urged Mr Isherwood to be mindful of his language and the serious nature of the allegation.

‘35 years to meet demand’

Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru’s shadow housing secretary, said a 12% year-on-year increase in “affordable” homes sounds positive on the surface.

But she told the Senedd that just over 13,000 of the promised 20,000 social homes have been provided, to date, “and that is the only figure that counts”.

“That is the important figure,” she said. “The other things are maybes, so let’s not turn this statement into a celebration. We have a housing crisis in Wales and the crisis is deepening.

“When we look more deeply at the entire picture, it’s clear that the reality of the people of Wales runs counter to the optimistic narrative that we’re hearing from the government today.

“One in every 14 households is waiting for a social home – and at the current rate it would take 35 years to meet that demand.”

‘We need 60,000 homes’

John Griffiths, who chairs the Senedd’s housing committee, raised his committee’s calls for Wales to build an extra 60,000 social homes to catch up to comparable European countries.

His Labour colleague Mike Hedges warned Wales is not building co-operative housing at “anywhere near” the scale of the rest of Europe and North America.

Jenny Rathbone, a fellow Labour backbencher, welcomed an improvement in the number of homes being built, with the highest increase in two decades.

Labour’s Lesley Griffiths suggested the Welsh Government had already hit the stretching 20,000 target. “I think reaching it is a significant achievement,” she said.

Ms Griffiths, a former minister, pointed out that Wrexham has outperformed on social housing, with 33.6 units per 10,000 households compared with the Welsh average of 26.5.

Caerphilly

Calling on all local authorities to play their part in “tackling the housing crisis”, Ms Rathbone described Caerphilly Council as one of the “lowest providers” of social housing.

However, Jayne Bryant responded: “Caerphilly has the fourth highest social housing stock in Wales amongst local authorities. It has had 368 social housing grant-funded homes, and there’s a number more in the pipeline, which is really good.

“There are another 186 in reserve and a potential 306 in the pipeline as well. So, there is a pipeline coming from Caerphilly, as there are with other local authorities. But we work with local authorities closely, and housing associations and RSLs (registered social landlords), to really see where they can improve.”

‘Lives changed’

Ms Bryant confirmed 3,643 additional “affordable” homes were completed across Wales in 2024/25 – a 12% increase on the previous year – with more than £2bn invested since 2021 in an effort to meet the “most ambitious housing target in our nation’s history”.

In her statement, Wales’ housing secretary told the Senedd: ”By May 2026, we are forecast to have delivered 18,652 low-carbon homes for rent within the social sector.”

Ms Bryant added that a further 1,652 units are in the pipeline for the end of 2026 – beyond the Welsh Government’s five-year term – which would bring the total to 20,304.

She said: “That represents the highest sustained delivery of social housing in Wales in nearly two decades, and the pipeline beyond 2026 remains strong.”

“These aren’t just statistics, they are lives changed. A nurse finally able to live near the hospital where she works; a mother able to tuck her children into a bed in a home she can afford; and an older couple able to stay in the community they’ve called home all their lives.”