A national housing strategy for Wales will be put to the new assembly within months, the Welsh environment secretary has revealed
But campaigners for an all-Wales housing needs survey are likely to be disappointed, after the environment secretary told Housing Today he thought it would not be cost effective.

In an exclusive interview, Peter Law also indicated that Wales could finally be heading down the road to stock transfer.

He said he would be pushing local authorities to consider transfers to "housing trusts" in a bid to tackle deprivation and cash shortages.

There would be no element of compulsion towards transfer, but needy authorities should not dismiss it out of hand.

He said: "I don't expect to see housing trusts appearing throughout Wales, but I would expect to see it considered as an important option."

Law said a framework for a housing strategy was being drawn up by the national consultative forum on housing in Wales and he would be taking the document to the Welsh cabinet.

He said: "It is very important for us. I want to get on with dealing with housing in a positive way."

The strategy, which Law said was likely to be debated by the full assembly within "a few months", will embrace all housing sectors. It will ensure there is "high quality social housing managed efficiently and effectively - we have not always had that", he said.

There will also be an emphasis on building communities in areas where people want to live. He said: "Quite frankly, in the past that's not been the case."

Law said that although the "options were open", he was not confident that the benefits of a national housing needs survey outweighed the costs.

Law said much of his housing policy would focus on tackling social exclusion and deprivation. He said: "The most excluded people are the people without homes. We need to ensure that the activities of local authorities and housing associations in the voluntary sector are all co-ordinated. It's a team approach."