The Wales Green Party has pledged to allow local authorities to declare ‘rent pressure zones’ where rents can be capped as part of its pitch ahead of the Senedd election in May.
Speaking at the launch of the party’s manifesto, Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter said ‘rent is out of control’ and a one-year rent freeze would give people ‘breathing’ space.
The launch of the manifesto this week also saw the party promise to deliver universal childcare for children aged nine months to four years, ban no-fault evictions, invest in prevention and ensure refuge accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Slaughter said that Wales had been ‘shafted by a succession of Westminster governments and Labour rule’, which had led the party to focus on the cost-of-living crisis.
Among its other commitments were the extension of universal free school meals to secondary schools and training people to retrofit houses to keep bills down and tackle climate change.
These new pledges stand alongside older commitments to replace council tax with a land value tax paid by landlords.
Commenting on the manifesto launch, David Phillips, head of Devolved and Local Government Finance at IFS, said the pledges would require ‘substantial increases’ in taxes or cuts to other services.
‘This manifesto may work as an opening gambit for potential negotiations with other parties. But it is clearly not a complete, costed plan for government,’ he added.
