Housing

The links between housing conditions and health have long been recognised and improvement in housing conditions is responsible for much of the improvements in public health of the last century.

Poor housing has been linked to increased levels of limiting long term illness, respiratory and infectious diseases, injuries, psychological problems and perceived poor general health and even increased mortality.

Of all the countries within the UK, Wales has the poorest quality housing stock, which is generally older and in poorer condition than housing in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Housing Strategy 2007 -2012 shows that:

• Compared with the rest of Wales, Merthyr Tydfil has 6% fewer households living in owner occupied accommodation and 27% more of its population living in social housing.
• 41% of private sector homes were built before 1900.
• In Wales the house type that has the highest rate of poor quality or “‘unfitness” is terraced housing, mainly because much of it was built before 1919. Merthyr has 59% of terraced housing, compared to the Welsh average of 34%.
• At the time of the 1997 Welsh House Condition Survey, Merthyr had the highest rate of unfitness of any Local Authority in Wales, with 12.5% of the housing stock unfit compared with the Welsh average of 8.5%.