Tax hike will solve housing crisis, says Bishop

Bishop John Davies: Those who can afford to should pay more

A BISHOP called for people to pay more tax to help solve the housing crisis at a rally today.

The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Davies, said homes were the cornerstone of a healthy society and we had to be prepared to fund them. He was speaking on the steps of the Senedd – the home of the Welsh Government – at the start of the Homes For Wales campaign rally.

More than 300 people attended the event which was organised by a coalition of housing organisations and supported by the Church in Wales.

Bishop John, who is the Church in Wales’ spokesman of social issues, said, “We’re not talking about housing – I have used the word ‘home’ – that is something we understand in Wales, something that goes deep into our consciousness. Homes create social cohesion, create communities, give you the chance to have self-esteem, dignity and security – and security creates an environment where people can learn, flourish and develop a healthier lifestyle, develop their own sense of well being. The absence of a home will create the opposite – it will lead to people’s lives becoming chaotic and lacking in the virtues we so easily take for granted.”

However, providing homes came down to the F-word, he warned – Finance. Bishop John said, “Charities are struggling to find finance to continue to fund their programmes. Local authorities are struggling to find money to plough into the affordable housing schemes which they are required to find. So where’s the money to come from? Tap your own pockets – it has to come from us. I wonder how committed we are to giving people homes if it means perhaps paying a bit more in tax, calling governments to account and saying, ‘We will give you the money if you will spend it properly – if you will create homes for people who need them’.