A MEMBER of Conwy Town Council has called for greater assistance from Welsh Government in remedying the region’s housing crisis.

Cllr Gary Willetts, of the Deganwy ward, also labelled Welsh Government’s decision to implement 20mph speed limits on residential roads in the country as of September 2023 “crackers”.

In February, it was reported that Conwy’s bill for placing homeless people in temporary accommodation has doubled in the last 12 months.

The county also had the fourth-greatest number of people in temporary accommodation in Wales, and 1,643 on the housing register.

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A freedom of information request also showed that Conwy spent £2.5million last year on providing temporary accommodation to the homeless, more than double the previous year’s £1.2m.

At the time, Conwy County Borough Council also said it had 547 people, or 285 households, in all forms of temporary accommodation, including 144 households in emergency accommodation.

Cllr Willetts said: “The housing issue is a complete mess that the Welsh Government has made for itself.

“Why doesn’t (First Minister) Mark Drakeford buy all of the holiday homes at market price and then put these people he talks about in them?

“If he wants houses for people facing homelessness, they (WG) can build them. Why don’t they?”

Asked whether too many houses in Conwy county are holiday or second homes, Cllr Willetts said: “If you want to buy a car worth £30,000, or want a holiday home, and you’ve worked for it and have the money, I’ve got no objections to that.

“I had a holiday home here for 12 years before I came here to live, and during that time, I used to spend money in the pubs, restaurants, and shops – that’s what keeps the local economy and the hospitality and retail sectors going.

“Without people spending money in Llandudno and Conwy, the local economy would collapse.

“The people who have holiday homes do spend a lot of money. The answer is not to attack people with holiday homes.

“If Mark Drakeford is serious, he should build more houses, which people can afford to rent.

“What the council should do is ensure there is a proper stock of public housing that can be built, and that people can rent and live in.

“We can’t operate this communist-type system where we take houses off people who’ve worked and paid for them.

“It’s in the Welsh Government’s and the council’s hands to build more houses, and make sure social housing is a high priority.

“You can’t go stealing houses off people who have worked all of their lives to pay for them.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We believe everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home to buy or to rent in their own community.

“We have an ambitious commitment of delivering 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent in the social sector this government term and are committed to using the planning, property and taxation systems to tackle injustices in the current housing market.

“This includes the negative impact that a disproportionate number of second homes and short-term holiday lets can have in some areas and we are putting in place a package of proposals to address this.

“We have already announced a maximum council tax premium that local authorities can decide to charge and new local tax rules for holiday lets.

“We have also concluded a major consultation on proposed changes to the planning system which would give local authorities more control in managing numbers of second homes.”

Cllr Willetts is also opposed to the blanket 20mph speed limits to be enforced on Welsh residential roads as of September next year.

The only exception in the country is Monmouthshire, whose council scrapped them after backlash from the community following a trial in the area.

Cllr Willetts believes the changes will not bring about the desired impact Welsh Government believe it will have.

He added: “It’s crackers. It’s not sensible. 30mph is quite safe.

“What the Welsh Government does, which is a great danger, is allow footpaths to be used by cyclists. They spend millions on these footpaths, which cyclists are allowed to cycle on at 20mph.

“What the Welsh Government doesn’t understand is that, if a cyclist hits you on a footpath at 17.6mph, you’re dead.

“I just don’t see 20mph as a very significant point. It’s posturing. I don’t think drivers, or the police, would pay much attention, anyway.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The evidence is clear; reducing speed limits saves lives.

"Pedestrians are five times more likely to be killed at 30mph compared to 20mph.

"Not only will the new 20mph default save lives, but it will also help to make our streets safer and more welcoming and help create a more positive impact on the environment.

“Cycling on footpaths remains illegal. On dedicated shared use paths, walkers and cyclists need to be considerate of each other.”

Previously, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said that the move will reduce accidents, particularly to children.

Welsh Government has also said that the move will save £58million across a 30-year period due to the reduced demand on emergency services and hospital treatment.