Green Party promises rent controls in Senedd election manifesto

The Wales Green Party has promised to introduce rent controls to help bring down living costs as it published its manifesto for the Senedd election. Welsh leader Antony Slaughter said his party would freeze rent for a year before giving councils powers to apply caps on what tenants pay. He promised to cap bus fares to £1 for most people, with free travel for under 22s, and to replace council tax. The party does not expect to form the next Welsh government, but hopes its policies could form part of negotiations when the Senedd decides who will be the next first minister of Wales. The party, in common with all other party manifestos so far, has not published full costings for its plan. Independent think tank Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the Greens' manifesto was "clearly not a complete, costed plan for government". Launching his manifesto in Port Talbot, Slaughter declined to say which of any of the party's policies would be a red line in negotiations with other parties hoping to lead the next government, but said that housing was a priority. The Greens say opinion polls show they are on course to get candidates elected to the Senedd for the first time in the history of Wa