Senedd rejects Reform motion on foreign nationals in social housing
The Welsh parliament voted down a Reform proposal to bar foreign nationals from social housing, backing an amendment that keeps allocation based on need.
The Senedd voted 57‑31 to reject a Reform motion that would have barred foreign nationals from accessing social housing and HMOs, opting instead for an amendment that keeps allocation driven by need.
Reform MS Joe Martin opened the debate by urging the Welsh Government to “end access to HMOs and social housing for foreign nationals”, proposing a three‑month deadline for those affected to secure private accommodation or face deportation.
The motion provoked immediate cross‑party backlash. Welsh Greens leader Anthony Slaughter dismissed it as “nonsensical, hateful and inflammatory”, while Plaid Cymru and Labour introduced an amendment that reaffirmed social‑housing priority is determined by need and highlighted that asylum‑seeker dispersal remains a reserved matter for the UK Government.
Reform’s shadow housing minister Francesca O’Brien argued that social housing “should be reserved for the people of this country”. She described the current asylum system as “deranged” and warned that the use of HMOs to house asylum seekers is putting “families out of homes”.
O’Brien criticised the existing Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996 for containing “nothing” about length of residence or citizenship, noting that England in 2011 gave councils the power to decide who qualifies for social housing, with “hundreds” now applying a residence test.
She added that Section 35 of the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill would have granted Welsh councils the same authority, but the provision was removed by an amendment tabled by the now‑housing minister Sian Gwenllian.
Gwenllian, who described social housing as a “universal resource”, was challenged by O’Brien, who retorted: “It is not a universal resource.” It is a national resource, and it should belong to the people of this nation.”
Conservative communities spokesperson Peter Fox acknowledged public concern over “pressure on housing”, stating: “We believe – the Conservative Party believes – that social housing must prioritise those with a genuine and established connection to our country.” We also agree that accommodation should not be provided to people who are here unlawfully.”
Fox condemned the Reform proposal as “headline‑grabbing” and argued it “falls apart the moment you examine how it would work in actual fact”. He warned it would affect “foreign students renting rooms in HMOs while studying at Welsh universities, it would affect workers who have come here legally, and it would affect Irish citizens whose rights are protected under the common travel area”.
He also highlighted the impact on EU citizens with settled status, noting they were “explicitly told that there would be no change to their rights if they were already lawfully resident in the United Kingdom”.
Housing minister Sian Gwenllian reiterated that “everyone in Wales should have access to a safe, warm and affordable home”. She stressed that the solution is not to “divide communities or to pit groups of people against each other”.
Gwenllian clarified that social housing is not provided to asylum seekers, describing the Reform motion as a “misrepresents” of the current system. She explained that “the UK Government provides temporary accommodation while a claim is considered”.
She added that “if someone is granted refugee status – and I remind members that this means that the UK Government has found that the individual has fled from war, fear or persecution – then they may seek housing assistance under the same rules as other households”.
Concluding, Gwenllian called Reform’s plan a “simplistic and divisive approach to a complex housing problem” and urged colleagues to back the government amendment, which “focuses on actions that can make a real difference”.
The Senedd’s final tally saw the Reform motion defeated 57 votes to 31, while the Plaid Cymru‑Labour amendment passed 51 to 37, signalling a clear preference for a needs‑based allocation framework.