THE Welsh government is on course to break its manifesto promise of 20,000 new social homes, a watchdog warned yesterday.

Fewer than half of the homes promised by Labour at the last Senedd election have been built, a report by Audit Wales reveals.

“If the Welsh government is to meet the 20,000 social homes target by March 2026, it will need to spend significantly more than planned,” the watchdog warned.

It estimated that the government will need between £580 and £740 million extra on top of its estimate of £1.8 billion for the target to be hit.

Audit Wales said that between 15,860 and 16,670 homes will be delivered at the current rate of progress, which it described as “slow and more expensive than initially expected.”

The watchdog added that there is a “high probability” that some of the “riskier schemes” will not happen, regardless of how much is spent.

Auditor General Adrian Crompton said: “Price inflation has hit the affordable housing programme hard.

“The Welsh government now faces difficult choices about its funding priorities and approach if it remains committed to meeting or getting close to its 20,000 social homes target by March 2026.”

The report coincided with YouGov polling for the Welsh Language Society finding that 74 per cent of Welsh people believe the right to adequate housing should be enshrined in Welsh law.

The campaign group will hold a national rally in Machynlleth on September 14 to call for a property Act that would incorporate the legal right to a home, as already exists for healthcare and education.

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “With a Labour government now in Westminster, there are no more excuses to be made.

“If what’s really needed to hit the target is more funding, then the First Minister should be picking up the phone to Keir Starmer and demanding a fairer deal for Wales.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “There are a range of factors impacting housing supply, not least the recent sustained period of record inflationary pressures, which has made achieving the target even more challenging.

“Tackling homelessness and delivering more homes is a key priority for this government and we have set a challenging target and allocated record levels of funding to housing supply in this Senedd term, with more than £1.4bn invested so far.”

The Welsh government’s programme for government, covering 2021 to 2026, contains a promise to build 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent.