Carmarthenshire has seen the biggest drop in Wales of the number of households on a social housing waiting list, according to the latest figures.

The data shows that the county has a 11.9 per cent drop in houses on the list, but this is a different picture across Wales.

In 2018, there were around 65,000 houses on a social housing waiting list. However, only four years later, this has gone up by nearly 40 per cent, with the 2022 figure for Wales standing at 89,200.

Along with Carmarthenshire, the only other region to see a decrease was Cardiff, with a 2.3 per cent drop. All other boroughs saw an increase.

Five boroughs in Wales saw more than a 100 per cent increase in the last four years. They are:

  • Merthyr Tydfil – 263.3 per cent
  • Anglesey – 154.9 per cent
  • Blaenau Gwent – 115.4 per cent
  • Wrexham – 103.3 per cent
  • Powys – 101.5 per cent

Pembrokeshire had a 47.8 per cent increase in households on a social housing waiting list, while Ceredigion saw an increase of 19.1.

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Chief executive of Shelter Cymru, Ruth Power, said that Wales was “in a housing emergency.”

"Based on the really significant increases over the last four years, and in the context of a cost of living and housing crisis, we would expect to see these figures rising.

"For months and years, (families are) living in very poor conditions, because that's all (they) can afford or find."

In addition to the 89,200 houses on the social housing waiting list, the charity said it also has a further 8,000 people in temporary accommodation in Wales.

A spokesperson from the Welsh government said: "We believe everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home and are committed to supporting the housing sector during this period of significant demand in both the social and private rented sector.

"We are providing a record £310million for social housing this financial year, together with more than £190million for homelessness prevention and housing support - all of which supports our ambition to end homelessness and deliver 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent in the social sector during this government term."