Gwynedd Council and Adra are working together to provide more affordable housing for the people of Gwynedd.

Since 2021 the council has been buying and upgrading houses to be let to local people through the Buy to Let scheme; the aim is to buy 100 properties to let to locals over the six years of the Housing Action Plan. Currently, 20 properties have been purchased with another five in the process of completion. Many of these houses are in areas where locals struggle to find affordable housing, such as Aberdyfi, Llanberis, Porthmadog, and Pen Llŷn.

Adra will manage properties on behalf of the council and people must register with Tai Teg, which is administers the council’s affordable housing schemes, as soon as possible, to apply for one.

Alongside this, the council is also tackling homelessness, bringing empty homes back into use, building new homes, and offering equity loans through the Gwynedd Homebuy scheme to help people buy homes from the open market.

Cllr Craig ab Iago, Housing and Property Cabinet Member, said: “The housing crisis is still as alive as ever, and the Council continues to act proactively to provide as many opportunities as possible for the people of Gwynedd to live locally through the Housing Action Plan.

“This new partnership between Cyngor Gwynedd and Adra represents our collaborative effort to tackle this crisis. With the scheme to buy private houses to let to local people, this practical collaboration means that both organisations bring their strengths to the table – combining expertise to find real solutions to the serious housing situation that we’re all facing.

“Through schemes like these, the Council remains steadfast in its commitment to building stronger communities by providing suitable, high quality and affordable homes that improves the quality of lives.”

Sarah Schofield, Adra’s Director of Customers and Communities, said: “We are extremely proud to be able to collaborate with Cyngor Gwynedd in order to facilitate the Buy to Let scheme.

“We will use our expertise to manage the property on behalf of the Council, as well as providing affordable housing for local residents through Tai Teg’s intermediate rent scheme.

“We are in a housing crisis. There is a huge demand for quality affordable housing in Gwynedd, which also reflects the national picture. This proves that by working together, this issue could be solved. It’s clear that collaboration is one of the solutions to tackling housing issues in north Wales.”