Cymdeithas multi-site protest against Wales’ ‘housing crisis’: The right to live at home is completely fundamental if we are to ensure the continued viability of our communities

 

'Wales is not for sale' multi-site rally held on November 21st. From Llanberis to Carmarthen, and from Aberaeron to our national Parliament in Cardiff, and from every corner of Cymry, the message to the Welsh Government is this: act now to solve the housing crisis in Wales. CIG calls on the Welsh Governmentto provide Local Authorities with an emergency package of powers now to manage the situation. The fact that over 5,300 people have now signed the petition underlines the need for urgent Government action. #NidYwCymruArWerth

Language campaigners were holding rallies in Llanberis, Aberaeron and Carmarthen on Saturday, to highlight the housing market situation in Wales. Campaigners are calling on the Welsh Government to "do everything it can to tackle the crisis", including giving local authorities powers to control the housing market and introducing a Property Act.The calls are part of Cymdeithas yr Iaith's 'Not for sale' campaign, which includes a current petition.The Welsh Government says it recognizes the need to find solutions so that people are not priced out of their areas.

There were rallies in Carmarthen and Llanberis, and language campaigners in Ceredigion walk from Llanrhystud to a rally in Aberaeron. A spokeswoman for Cymdeithas yr Iaith and one of the speakers at the rally in Carmarthen, Sioned Elin, said:

"We can't wait until a new government election next year, as house prices have risen so much in rural areas that local families are being forced out of the market.The government now needs to give Local Authorities an emergency package of powers to manage the situation. The fact that over 5,300 people have now signed the petition underlines the need for urgent Government action."

Osian Jones, spokeswoman for Cymdeithas yr Iaith's 'Wales is not for sale' campaign, added: "'The current observatory is beyond depressing. The right to live at home is a key to any living community but unfortunately, in an increasing number of areas in Wales young people find it impossible to settle into their communities.This is not their fault of course: the problem is beyond their control and stems from the fact that the housing system is part of the open market which means it is not adequately controlled. The result of this is a housing system that is not working for the benefit of our communities and has now become a crisis. Because of this, we will be campaigning on Saturday to call on the Welsh Government to introduce a series of emergency measures, which would include giving Local Authorities the powers to control the housing market. And in the long term, the Government will need to come up with a series of structural solutions, such as a Property Act, to ensure that this kind of crisis does not happen again and that the housing market works for the benefit of communities, not capitalism. "


These calls form a part of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s ‘Wales is not for sale’ campaign which also includes a petition on the Senedd website with currently over 5,300 signatories.

“We can’t afford to wait until the election of a new government next year, as house prices have rocketed upwards during the pandemic in the rural areas, and local people are being forced out of the market,” Sioned Elin, a Cymdeithas yr Iaith spokesperson and one of the speakers at the rally in Carmarthen, said.

“The Government must act now to give Local Authorities emergency powers to control the housing market. The fact that over 5,300 people so far have signed our petition emphasises this urgent need for the Government to act now.”


The prospective Plaid Cymru Senedd candidate for Dwyfor-Meirionnydd, Mabon ap Gwynfor, will speak at the main rally in Llanberis, along with Elin Hywel (chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Communities Group) and Rhys Tudur (Nefyn town councillor).

Bethan Ruth, Mirain Iwerydd and Hywel Griffiths, will speak at the rally in Aberaeron, while Cllr. Cefin Campbell (who holds the Rural Affairs portfolio on Carmarthenshire Council), Cllr. Cris Tomos (who holds the Environment and Language portfolio on Pembrokeshire Council) and Sioned Elin will speak at the rally in Carmarthen.


“The right to live at home is completely fundamental if we are to ensure the continued viability of our communities, but unfortunately, young people are facing impossible barriers to settle in their own communities in an increasing number of areas in Wales.

“This is obviously not their fault, as this problem is completely beyond their control and delves from the fact that the housing market is a part of the open market which means that there isn’t sufficient public control over it. This results in a housing system that doesn’t work for our communities and that has now developed into a crisis.

“Because of this, we will be campaigning on Saturday and calling on the Welsh Government to introduce a series of urgent measures which would include giving Local Authorities the powers that they need to control the housing market.

“In the long-term, the Welsh Government also needs to introduce significant structural reforms, which includes a Property Act, in order to ensure that a crisis of this kind doesn’t arise again in the future and that the housing market works for communities, not capitalism.”

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Conradh na Gaeilge warmly welcomes additional funding for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language

 

A very significant increase for the Gaeltacht has been confirmed, and while it is good that cuts to Foras na Gaeilge since 2008 have begun to be reversed, much work remains to be done. We will continue to pressure to provide additional funding to the Foras.

Conradh na Gaeilge has welcomed the €17+ million additional funding announced today by the Government in the south in Budget 2021 for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. This is the first time since before 2008 that a significant and more equitable increase has been provided, especially for the Gaeltacht. Everyone in the community who has been involved in the efforts to secure this extra funding is to be commended. Conradh na Gaeilge will however continue to campaign for additional funding for Foras na Gaeilge to support the projects included in the investment plan agreed by 80 Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations. 

Dr Niall Comer, President of Conradh na Gaeilge said:

“On behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge I would like to commend Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Jack Chambers for ensuring a significant increase for Údarás na Gaeltachta in today's budget, an increase which will be of benefit to the Gaeltacht community. I recognise that the cuts made to Foras na Gaeilge’s funding since 2008 are now being addressed but much work remains so the various projects and organisations who work with Foras na Gaeilge can benefit from funding increases. The Irish language community in particular should be recognised for its huge effort to ensure equality and appropriate and sufficient funding. Without this continued effort and the support of all political parties it is unlikely such an increase could have been achieved.”

Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge said:

“The funding announced today has been achieved as a result of a strong organised community campaign since the 2016 general election. It is good that additional funding has been secured for language planning both within and outside the Gaeltacht, that Údarás na Gaeltachta will have a capital budget of €14.5 million to create employment in the Gaeltacht in 2021, that TG4 will have an additional €3.5 million to develop the station and other measures included in the budget announced today.

Politicians from all parties were pressured to stop the cuts that continued until 2016 and to provide significant additional funding to fund the Investment Plan agreed by 80 Irish language and Gaeltacht groups. We are now calling on Foras na Gaeilge and Údarás na Gaeltachta to fund the projects and schemes included in the plan, especially in the case of the Irish Language Community Scheme (A Scéim Phobal Gaeilge).”

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Donation campaign by Kowethas to fund An Mis, Cornish Language TV programme

Do you look forward to An Mis, Cornish Language Television programme by Kowethas an  Yeth Kernewek, every month? Sadly it is running out of money and needs your donations if it is to continue into 2021 and beyond.

Can you help? Please donate here:

https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/14365

 

 A wrewgh mires yn-rag dhe An Mis, agan towlen bellwolok y'n yeth kernewek pub mis? Yn trist heb arghans vydh yn skon hag yma edhom dhedhi a argevrohow dyworthowgh mar kwra hi pesya dres 2021 ha pella.

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BBC Cymru Wales announces new Welsh language podcasts

Welcoming the new content, soon to be available on BBC Sounds, Gruffudd Pritchard, Content Editor BBC Cymru Fyw and Radio Cymru says: “Over the last year and a half we’ve had the pleasure of working with a variety of talented producers on a collection of new Welsh podcasts. BBC Sounds offers an amazing opportunity as a platform for new voices and perspectives.”

Fy Nhro Cyntaf (My First Time) is a light-hearted podcast coming to BBC Sounds on Thursday 19 November. A crew of young BBC Sesh voices - familiar to the followers of the social media account – will talk openly and candidly about their personal experiences.

Regular BBC Sesh contributor Siôn Owen says: “I really enjoyed making this podcast where I talk about the first time I did a number of things… and let’s be honest, most of them are quite embarrassing. I hope you enjoy the podcast – I know I did.”

Digon (Enough) with Non Parry will be available on BBC Sounds in December, with the singer from the popular group Eden discussing different aspects of mental health in the company of guests –including Caryl Parry Jones, Mari Lovgreen a Meilir Rhys Williams.

Non says: “After speaking publicly about my mental health, it became obvious that I wasn’t alone. I think we can all relate to the pressure to be perfect, more ‘this’, or less ‘that’. Why can’t we just be enough? In this series I’ll be sharing personal and very honest stories and experiences with some familiar faces – who have also, on occasion, felt less than enough, and offer advice and comfort."

Hanes Mawr Cymru (Wales’ Big History) by writer Llinos Mai is a lively series for Year 5 and 6 pupils. Coming to BBC Sounds before Christmas, the podcast will introduce a young audience to aspects of Welsh history in a light-hearted and fun way.

Eary next year, BBC Radio Cymru’s Aled Hughes will be getting to know some of Wales’ most interesting people in a brand new podcast. There will also be a second series of Siarad Secs (Talking Sex) coming soon, with Lisa Angharad talking frankly and honestly about sex and sexuality. And there will be new episodes of Dwy Iaith Un Ymenydd (Two Languages One Brain) with comedian Elis James available in the new year.

And there are two weekly podcasts available on BBC Sounds - Gwleidydda (Politics) and Y Coridor Ansicrwydd (The Corridor of Uncertainty).

SG

 

CYHOEDDI PODLEDIADAU NEWYDD YN GYMRAEG

 

Heddiw (Gwener 13 Tachwedd) mae BBC Cymru yn cyhoeddi nifer o bodlediadau newydd ac amrywiol yn Gymraeg.

Wrth groesawu’r podlediadau newydd dywedodd Gruffudd Pritchard, Golygydd Cynnwys, BBC Cymru Fyw a Radio Cymru: “Yn ystod y deunaw mis diwethaf yr ydym wedi cael pleser o gyd-weithio gydag amrywiaeth o gynhyrchwyr talentog ar gasgliad o bodlediadau newydd yn Gymraeg. Mae BBC Sounds yn gyfle gwych i ni roi llwyfan i leisiau a safbwyntiau newydd, ac rydym yn gobeithio bydd y gynulleidfa yn mwynhau darganfod y don newydd yma o gynnwys Cymraeg."

Pod llawn chwerthin yw Fy Nhro Cyntaf, fydd yn dod i BBC Sounds dydd Iau (19 Tachwedd). Bydd criw o leisiau ifanc BBC Sesh – sy’n adnabyddus i ddilynwyr y cyfri ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol - yn trafod profiadau personol mewn ffordd agored ac agos at yr asgwrn.

Meddai Siôn Owen sy’n gyfrannwr cyson i BBC Sesh: “Nes i wir fwynhau neud y podlediad ma, lle dwi’n sôn am fy nhro cyntaf yn neud amryw o bethau… efo’r rhan fwyaf yn dueddol i fod yn reit embarassing i ddweud y gwir. Gobeithio newch chi fwynhau’r podlediad – dwi’n gwbod y nes i.”

Meddai Mared Parry o BBC Sesh: “Ma recordio’r podcast efo’r ‘gang’ wedi bod yn llawn sypreises a dwi mor excited i bawb gael clywad ni’n mwydro!”

Bydd Digon, gyda Non Parry ar gael ar BBC Sounds ym mis Rhagfyr, gyda’r gantores o’r grŵp Eden yn trafod gwahanol agweddau ar iechyd meddwl yng nghwmni gwesteion - fydd yn cynnwys Caryl Parry Jones, Mari Lovgreen a Meilir Rhys Williams.

Meddai Non: ”Ar ôl siarad yn gyhoeddus am fy iechyd meddwl, fe ddaeth yn amlwg nad oeddwn i ar ben fy hun. Dwi’n credu ein bod ni gyd yn gallu uniaethu gyda’r pwysau i fod yn berffaith, yn fwy ‘hyn’ neu’n llai ‘llall’. Pam na allwn ni just bod yn ddigon? Yn y gyfres yma byddai’n rhannu profiadau a straeon personol a gonest ofnadwy gyda gwynebau adnabyddus - sydd hefyd ar brydiau wedi teimlo’n llai na digon, a chynnig cyngor a chysur trwy sgyrsie cyfeillgar a chynnes."

Mae Hanes Mawr Cymru gan y sgwenwraig Llinos Mai yn gyfres fywiog i ddisgyblion blwyddyn 5 a 6. Yn cyrraedd BBC Sounds cyn y Nadolig, fe fydd y podlediad yn cyflwyno agweddau o hanes Cymru i gynulleidfa ifanc mewn ffordd ysgafn a hwyliog.

Yn y flwyddyn newydd fe fydd Aled Hughes yn dod i adnabod rhai o bobl mwyaf diddorol Cymru mewn podlediad newydd sbon.

Bydd hefyd ail-gyfres o Siarad Secs yn dod yn fuan, gyda Lisa Angharad a'i gwesteion yn siarad mwy am ryw a rhywioldeb yn agored a gonest. Bydd pennodau newydd sbon o Dwy Iaith Un Ymenydd gyda’r comediwr Elis James hefyd i’w clywed yn y flwyddyn newydd.

Ac mae dau bodlediad wythnosol yn parhau i fod ar gael ar BBC Sounds - Gwleidydda ac Y Coridor Ansicrwydd.

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Fáilte ar Líne: 40,000 people across 130 countries learn Irish through government-backed course

 More than 40,000 people are learning Irish in over 130 countries via an online course Fáilte ar Líne. The course, which is supported by the Department of an Gaeltacht and delivered by Dublin City University teaches the Irish language for complete beginners and encourages students to visit Ireland and its Gaeltacht areas. 

This was on of the key achievements noted in a report on the progress of the Government's 2018-2022 Action Plan. The first of its kind, the report said that significant strides were made by the Department of Education in implementing policy on Gaeltacht education. Digital hubs to encourage the use of the Irish language were developed in four locations; Béal an Mhuirthead in County Mayo, in Gaoth Dobhair, in An Cheathrú Rua in County Galway, along with Mol Teic in conjunction with other agencies in Daingean Uí Chúis in County Kerry.

Nine Language Planning Officers and three assistants were appointed to implement language plans.  Yesterday, the Government pledged that the Official Languages Bill, which was published in 2019, will be made stronger before it is enacted later this year.

Link

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Coronavirus: Emergency fund of £1.2m for Irish language groups

Irish language organisations are to receive £1.2m in emergency funding from the Department of Communities (DfC). Ulster-Scot language groups will also receive £850,000, while £430,000 is being made available to Sign Language organisations.The funding is part of £29m previously agreed by the executive for the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Many organisations have had to close or cancel events due to the coronavirus pandemic, leading to financial losses.Arts venues and organisations and heritage sites have previously been told they can apply for around £13m of emergency funding.

The Irish language funding of £1.2m is aimed at language centres and community groups. Irish language campaign group Conradh na Gaeilge will administer £610,000 of the funding.Irish language groups with staff will be able to apply for grants of up to £30,000 to cover wage and income losses as a result of Covid-19.Other community organisations can apply for grants of up to £15,000 to cover losses in income and to relaunch activities in 2021.

Smaller grants of between £2500 and £5000 will be available to help Irish language groups resume events and festivals. Applications for the funding can made until 2 December 2020.

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Brazilian man becomes first person to pass British citizenship test in Welsh

A Brazilian man has become the first person to pass a British citizenship test using the Welsh language. Rodolfo Piskorski, who teaches English literature and Portuguese at Cardiff University, said it was important to him to use his “linguistic rights” and demonstrate “there are different ways to be British”. The 34-year-old linguist first came to the UK in 2013 to study for his PhD in critical and cultural theory at Cardiff University. After two years of living in the Welsh capital, he decided to start learning the language.

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Re bell ban’ti: new Breton language daily program

Radio Kerne and Radio Naoned have decided to adapt their program schedule, during confinement, set up in October 2020. Since November 2, 2020, they have been broadcasting a new daily program Re bell ban'ti (Too long at home) Monday to Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. “We have decided to focus on the evolution of Covid-19. »On the program, traffic rules, health protocols but also the lives of isolated people, students, businesses ..." All interviews will be carried out remotely (phone or video). “Some of our journalists will be setting up mobile studios in their homes, but the show will be hosted nightly live from our studios. "

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Unionists getting animated over their love for the Irish language

 

For almost a decade Trojan work has been underway within the East Belfast Mission to promote the Irish language among unionists, loyalists and Protestants alike. Now Irish language activist Linda Ervine and her team in the Turas project, who run weekly Irish classes for learners at the Skainos Centre, have turned to animation in a bid to address this sensitive subject.

The first in a series of short animated films that show normal, everyday Protestants and unionists who have engaged with or learned Irish is being unveiled virtually today (MON) to mark the start of Good Relations Week.Linda (58) has teamed up with Don Duncan, a lecturer in Broadcast Journalism at Queen’s University Belfast, to create the films.

“A great diversity of people have come to Turas down the years and I’ve always been interested in their stories and why they want to learn Irish,” Linda explained.“I realised that there was a real richness there so I wanted some way to record this. In the beginning when people first came some of them were very nervous and worried about anybody knowing that they were learning Irish and thankfully for most people that has changed.”

Linda added: “These new animated films are really engaging as they provide a short yet intense message which is very powerful. There is also an innocence about them and they are in no way threatening.

“Sometimes we are attacked about why people are learning Irish and asked who comes here. I’ve often been told that there are no Protestants or working class people here.

"These films show in a very safe way that actually that isn’t true and here are people talking about their reasons for learning Irish and what they get from it.”

Don got in touch with Belfast-based production company Enter Yes who helped to make Linda’s dream a reality.

“We have talked to three students so far who all have different experiences of Irish. Our aim is to create a mosaic of people who all have this one thing in common - an interest in the Irish language and in learning it,” Don added.

The voice behind the first animated film is mother-of-two Gail McCune (47), who took the plunge and walked the short distance from her home to her first Irish class seven years ago.

“I knew the classes were happening because my eldest daughter brought home a newsletter from her school with details. I just decided to go down the next day and see what was happening,” Gail said.

“I felt that if I didn’t go then I’d end up chickening out and never go. When I was a teenager I was involved in some cross border projects and had always wondered why those from down south were learning Irish and I wasn’t. At my school you could only do French, German and Latin.

“My great-great grandmother was from Dublin so a few Irish phrases had been passed down through the generations but by the time they got to my mum she couldn’t really remember them.”

Gail, who along with Linda is just beginning the second year of an Irish language degree at Queen’s, says she has no regrets about her decision.

“At the beginning I felt that I needed some justification for wanting to learn Irish but I’ve since realised that you can choose to do it because you’re interested. It has been really great craic and I’ve met lots of good people so it’s very sociable.

“I still don’t know how I got to this point because I set out to do something fun once a week down the road and now I’m at university,” she added.

The second animation is currently in production and has been voiced by fellow student and father-of-two Ivor Reid (58).

“I came along to the classes in around 2013 when Linda’s husband Brian talked me into it because I was already a volunteer with the East Belfast Mission,” he said.

“I hadn’t a clue about Irish and the only phrase I knew at that point was ‘tiocfaidh ar la’.

“When I was a kid Irish was seen as the enemy’s language and nothing to do with you or not your language.”

Ivor added: “Getting to know the origins of place names like Carryduff, Castlereagh and Knocknagoney and what they mean really caught my interest.

"Those sorts of things meant nothing to me before but it has been like walking through a magic door into a different world.

“Among my family and friends no one really cares that I chose to learn Irish. Some people might get themselves into a state about it but at the end of the day it doesn’t bother me because I’m doing nothing wrong.”

The first animation featuring Gail McCune will be officially launched on Turas' social media channels later today and it’s also available to view at belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

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Celtic Charter : housing market pressures and public policy is putting Celtic languages at stake

The rural housing crisis is threatening our future, claim activists from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man and Cornwall who have united in a cross-border plea over the survival of Celtic languages.

In an appeal aimed at authorities in each of those countries and territories, culture groups say housing market pressures and public policy is putting their languages at stake. These include Scots Gaelic, Irish, Welsh, Manx and Cornish.

They’ve drawn up a Celtic Charter that asserts a “right to a home” for speakers of these languages in their geographical heartlands. However, they say high costs and the proliferation of holiday lets in rural areas means the tongues themselves may soon be driven from those areas.

The charter – or Cairt taigheadais Cheilteach in Gaelic and Siarter Tai Celtaidd in Welsh – is a collaboration between groups including Scotland’s Misneachd, its Irish equivalent Misneach and Cymdeithas of Wales. It includes contributions in Cornish from Mebyon Kernow.

It includes 11 different demands, including the introduction of a “punitive tax” on homes used for Airbnb lets, a statutory cap on the proportion of second or holiday homes within communities, rent management to match local earnings and “specific supports for minority language speakers to remain in their communities”.

“This issue has never been more important to the survival of Gaelic communities,” Skye architect Martainn Mac A’Bhaillidh of Misneachd told the Sunday National.“I know loads of families working at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and in the Western Isles who are raising Gaelic-speaking kids with little to no hope that they will be able to live in the community they grew up in. It’s a completely unsustainable situation.”

That research was published by the University of the Highlands and Islands in July and found Scots Gaelic was “at the point of collapse”, with vernacular Gaelic likely to die out within only a decade as a result of the factors including the “social and economic modernisation” of the islands and the arrival of “new social players” who do not have the language amongst the biggest issues.

According to the Charter, these are issues that cross Celtic regions. It states: “We as organisations representing the minority languages of the Celtic nations, declare that urgent action must be taken. The damage done to our languages ​​and their communities must be undone – including in some areas where our languages ​​are no longer spoken.

“Homelessness is increasing, with more and more people unable to afford to live in their native areas. We regret that this is a result of the policies of the devolved and central governments. They include austerity and decades of economic inequality that disadvantage our rural communities.

“We therefore call on our governments to adopt a series of policies to ensure that the people who live and work here ... can afford to stay in their communities.”

Bethan Roberts of Cymdeithas says it’s already making a difference where she is. “Our ideas from the housing charter have resonated with people in Wales,” she said.

“Some progressive parties have already stated that they will be implementing some of the policies into their manifestos for next year’s Welsh Senedd election.

“We were very inspired working across different language communities. In an increasingly connected society, it’s easier than ever to create these links and learn from each other and work together. We face similar challenges and believe that our voices can be strengthened by coming together.”

Mac A’Bhaillidh hopes the same will happen here, but he says chances have already been missed, such as the Airbnb restrictions proposed by Scottish Greens MSP Andy Wightman. 

 

These failed to garner the backing of SNP and Tory members of the Scottish Parliament and, in an open letter released earlier this week, signatories including crofters and development officers claimed 40% of housing stock on both Tiree in the Inner Hebrides and West Harris in the Western Isles are holiday homes.

And while the provision of Gaelic-medium education has increased across the country, Mac A’Bhaillidh has little sympathy for the idea that indigenous speakers take their language with them when they move to areas where they are not spoken.

“Languages don’t survive without community around them,” he says. “They just don’t.

“There is very little evidence of languages surviving more than one or two generations in that context.

“There were 100,000 Irish-speaking people in Glasgow, where are they now?” he asks. “Millions of Irish speakers went to New York, where are they today?

“Whenever this housing issue is brought up there is a lot of hand-wringing – ‘what can we do?’

“In the Lake District, in the Channel Islands, in Cornwall and Norway and New Zealand we see action being taken to limit and set rules about who can buy a house where. It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s that there isn’t the will.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of housing in areas of indigenous languages and the role that housing partnerships have in supporting these communities.  

“The Scottish Government is willing to work with all parties to support all communities.”

 

The Celtic Charter for Housing – a Right to a Home is given below. A
excellent multilingual video (English subtitles) accompanying it is available on the Cymdeithas yr Iaith website and versions in Irish, Gaidhlig, Welsh, Manx and Cornish languages – click here  https://cymdeithas.cymru/siartertai

Celtic Housing Charter – the Right to a Home

The rural housing crisis is a huge problem that threatens the future of Celtic language-speaking communities.

We as organizations representing the minority languages of the Celtic nations, declare that urgent action must be taken. The damage done to our languages ​​and their communities must be undone- including in some areas where our languages ​​are no longer spoken.

Homelessness is increasing, with more and more people unable to afford to live in their native areas. We regret that this is a result of the policies of the
devolved and central governments. They include austerity and decades of
economic inequality that disadvantage our rural communities. We therefore call on our governments to adopt a series of policies to ensure that the people who live and work here including those belonging to marginalized and minority communities can afford to stay in their communities. This would be for the benefit of our languages ​​and the prosperity of our communities, with due regard to equality of opportunity regardless of class, race or gender. Those measures should include:

 cap the percentage of second or holiday homes within a community
 changing the definition of affordable housing and managing rent prices so that they are affordable to people on local wages
 further regulating and introducing a punitive tax on the use of houses
primarily or exclusively for AirBnB, including defining the use of houses or
flats as a whole as second homes or AirBnB
 develop a strategic plan for housing and tourism in rural areas to counter the fact that many houses have been taken out of the locally available housing stock
 devolve planning powers, including setting housing targets, to the most
appropriate local level, and require that language planning is mandatory;
 close any weaknesses or loopholes in the law that allow taxes to be avoided

 property legislation to control prices, specific supports for minority
language speakers to remain in their communities and to ensure the use of
empty and existing housing before new development is undertaken
 return social housing stock to public ownership, return underused stock to public ownership, and all ‘new builds’ to include a major element of public ownership
 a tax on landlords’ profits to invest in bringing empty and second homes
back into use for communities and those who live and work in them
 incentives to renovate and / or build sustainable housing in terms of
material and method of construction
 penalties for refusal to let property to members of disadvantaged
communities such as travellers or refugees.

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