Welsh council house tenants are subsidising social housing in England, Welsh Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Peter Black has claimed. He launched the attack on the ‘convoluted’ arrangements which sees all but one Welsh local authority which owns council houses return rental receipts to the Treasury. He argues that changes to the housing revenue subsidy system needs reforming, as £94 million of the £194 million returned to the Treasury came from Wales, including £12.7 million by Cardiff council and £11.2 million from Wrexham. Hackney in London received more than £48 million and Manchester £34 million. It is estimated that £3 billion is still needed to bring social housing stock up to the Welsh housing quality standard.
