Welsh

Ffred Ffransis wants a new Property Act in Wales to ensure homes to rent and buy are available at prices within the means of local people

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A Welsh-language rights campaigner is fasting for 75-hours to highlight the seriousness of the current housing crisis facing communities in Wales. Ffred Ffransis, who is a part of Cymdeithas yr Iaith's Nid yw Cymru ar Werth (Wales is Not for Sale) campaign, started his 75-hour fast on Sunday afternoon, August 6.

He will end his fast at the end of Cymdeithas yr Iaith's Property Act Rally, which is set to take place on Wednesday, August 9. It comes as the Welsh-language pressure group has called on the Welsh Government to introduce legislation to regulate the housing market.

In recent months, the Welsh-language pressure group has shifted its emphasis from its campaign against the excess of second homes and Airbnbs to campaigning for a full Property Act as an "urgent response" to the further decline in the proportion of Welsh-speakers as demonstrated by the Census.

Read more: Family priced out of living in their home village after three-year hunt for house

On Wednesday, members of the group will take part in a rally on the National Eisteddfod's ground in Boduan near Pwllheli, with the rally assembling at the Government's stand to demand a Property Act for Wales during this parliamentary term. According to Cymdeithas yr Iaith, hundreds of people are expected to take part in the march as they call for regulation of the housing market so that homes to rent and buy are available at prices within the means of local people. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

Mr Ffransis, who lives in Carmarthenshire, will be fasting outside the Welsh Government unit on the Maes, where he will be distributing flyers and discussing the issue with members of the public.

Speaking before his fast, Mr Ffransis said: "The 'Nid yw Cymru ar Werth' campaign has been ongoing for decades whilst winning some concessions here and there. I will be fasting for 75 hours outside the Welsh Government unit on the Maes from 12pm Sunday until the end of our rally, to emphasise the seriousness of the crisis facing our Welsh-language communities.

He added: "This is a critical time in the campaign for a Property Act to regulate the open market as we could run out of time in this Senedd term to introduce the legislation. There is still no sign of a timetable for the long-awaited White Paper on the matter, and we will be asking people on the Maes to send a message to the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, calling for the process to be sped up, because our communities cannot wait any longer."

He added: "This is not an act against the Government but a call on people to demand the government acts while there is still time. At the end of my fast, I will be able to return to eating while thousands of Welsh people will miss out on meals due to the cost-of-living crisis, and I will be able to return to my home while thousands of Welsh people will be forced out of their communities due to the shortage of housing.

"Neither Wales or the Welsh Language can withstand the current system. Introducing the Property Act, based upon social justice, will be one of the first steps in creating a new order, and Wales could become an example to the world."

Speaking to WalesOnline amid the fasting on Monday, Mr Ffransis said he was doing well. He said: "I'm taking plenty of water today, making sure I'm sitting down more and walking less. I've had to plan my time very carefully."

This isn't the first time Mr Ffransis has undergone fasting. In 2005, the Welsh language rights campaigner underwent a five-day fast to highlight the dangers facing rural communities. The aim of the campaign was to urge local authorities to make safeguarding the Welsh language a central tenet of council policy.

"This is such an important issue, especially in an area like Pen Llyn - where the Eisteddfod is held this year. It's an important issue in many parts of Wales as well, including where I live in Carmarthenshire. As a child, being brought up in Rhyl, which was a tourist hotspot at the time, I remember moving from one council house to another - there were no houses available to buy. I'm fully aware of the situation, and it has been an ongoing issue for many years."

In response, a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "We believe that everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home to buy or to rent in their own communities so they can live and work locally. We are taking radical action using the planning, property, and taxation systems to achieve this, as part of a joined-up package of solutions to a complex set of issues. We are also committed to publishing a White Paper on the potential to establish a system of fair rents as well as new approaches to make homes affordable for those on local incomes."