A HIGHER proportion of people in Monmouthshire own their homes than anywhere else in Wales - while neighbouring Torfaen has the highest proportion of people living in social housing, Census figures have revealed.

Meanwhile Blaenau Gwent has the lowest proportion of people living at more than one address, the statistics have revealed.

According to the data, 72.2 per cent of homes in Monmouthshire are owned either outright or with a mortgage – the highest proportion in Wales. In neighbouring Torfaen, 23.8 per cent of homes are social housing – again, the highest proportion in Wales.

The figures have also revealed the scale of people living at second homes for more than 30 days in 2021 – with Blaenau Gwent recording the lowest proportion in Wales, at 2.7 per cent.

Those spending time at second properties, such as holiday homes, students’ home addresses, and partners’ addresses, equated to 5.3 per cent of the population in England and Wales – 3.2 million people - according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The most common types of second address were another parent or guardian’s address, which would have been selected for children whose parents lived apart (used by 1.1 million people), students’ home addresses (used by 655,000), and holiday homes (used by 447,000).

The ONS highlighted the potential impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the figures.

For example, students may have been more likely to be staying at their family home for the whole academic year, rather than using a term-time address.

A slightly higher percentage of usual residents in England used a second address (5.4 per cent) than in Wales (5.2 per cent).

In Wales, Cardiff (10.5 per cent) and Ceredigion (10.2 per cent) had the highest percentages of usual residents who used second addresses, while Blaenau Gwent (2.7 per cent) and Merthyr Tydfil (3.0 per cent) had the lowest percentages.

The local authorities with the highest percentage of people who used a second address were Oxford (15.6 per cent), Cambridge (14.1 per cent) and Exeter (13.5 per cent).

In Wales, the local authority with the highest proportion was Ceredigion (9.1 per cent).

These are all areas with universities, so the high percentage of people with second addresses likely reflects students with both a term-time address and a non-term-time address, the ONS said.

The figures also show a decline in the proportion of households across England and Wales owning their accommodation between 2011 and 2021 – from 64.3 per cent to 62.5 per cent.

Over the same period, there was an increase in the proportion of households renting their accommodation, from 34.3 per cent (8.0 million) to 37.3 per cent (9.3 million).

The proportion of households living rent-free declined from 1.4 per cent, or 315,000, in 2011 to 0.1 per cent, or 33,000, in 2021.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Predictably the number of private rented households in England has skyrocketed since 2011.

“Despite this, regulation of the sector stagnates. Every day our emergency helpline hears from private renters paying through the nose for damp, mouldy homes, and families too scared to complain for fear they’ll be kicked out.”

She added: “The only lasting solution to our housing emergency is building more social homes.”

Key statistics from the 2021 census for housing

Homes owned outright

North Norfolk is the local authority with the highest percentage of households who own their home outright (48.6 per cent), followed by Rother in East Sussex (48.4 per cent), Staffordshire Moorlands (48.2 per cent), Ceredigion in Mid Wales (47.9 per cent) and Derbyshire Dales (47.7 per cent).

In one in four local authorities in England and Wales, at least 40 per cent of households own their home outright.

The areas with the lowest levels are all in London, with Tower Hamlets having the lowest percentage (7.8 per cent), followed by Hackney (9.7 per cent), Southwark (10.6 per cent), Islington (11.6 per cent) and Lambeth (12.0 per cent).

The lowest percentage in England outside London is Manchester (16.5 per cent), while the lowest in Wales is Cardiff (28.6 per cent).

Homes with a mortgage

Wokingham in Berkshire has the highest proportion of households who own a home with a mortgage, loan or shared ownership (42.0 per cent), followed by Dartford in Kent (41.0 per cent), Hart in Hampshire (40.2 per cent), Bracknell Forest in Berkshire (39.7 per cent) and Central Bedfordshire (39.3 per cent).

All these local authorities are in the south or east of England.

The highest in Wales is Vale of Glamorgan (33.7 per cent).

The areas with the lowest levels are again all in London: Westminster (12.1 per cent), Kensington & Chelsea (12.8 per cent), Camden (14.5 per cent), Islington (16.8 per cent) and Hackney (17.4 per cent).

This excludes the Isles of Scilly and the City of London, both of which have very low population numbers.

The lowest level in England outside London is Norwich (20.4 per cent), while the lowest in Wales is Ceredigion (21.0 per cent).

Overall home ownership

Rochford in Essex had the highest proportion of households who either own their home outright or own it through a mortgage, loan or shared ownership (81.2 per cent), followed by Castle Point in Essex (80.4 per cent), Fareham in Hampshire (79.2 per cent), Blaby in Leicestershire (79.0 per cent) and Staffordshire Moorlands (78.7 per cent).

The highest in Wales is Monmouthshire (72.2 per cent).

The areas with the lowest levels are once again in London, starting with Tower Hamlets (25.7 per cent), then Hackney (27.1 per cent), Westminster (28.1 per cent), Islington (28.4 per cent) and Camden (30.4 per cent).

The lowest proportion in England outside London is Manchester (38.0 per cent), while the lowest in Wales is Cardiff (58.3 per cent).

Private rent

The local authorities with the highest proportion of households renting their accommodation privately are all in London.

Westminster is the highest (43.3 per cent), followed by Kensington & Chelsea (39.6 per cent), Newham (38.5 per cent), Tower Hamlets (38.2 per cent) and Hammersmith & Fulham (36.4 per cent).

The Isles of Scilly and the City of London are excluded due to very low population numbers.

The area in England outside London with the highest percentage is Brighton & Hove (32.7 per cent) while in Wales it is Cardiff (24.3 per cent).

The areas with the lowest proportion are North East Derbyshire (10.0 per cent), South Staffordshire (10.6 per cent), Bromsgrove in Worcestershire (10.6 per cent), Rochford in Essex (10.7 per cent) and Copeland in Cumbria (11.0 per cent).

Social rent

London tops the list for areas with the highest proportion of households renting their accommodation from a local authority, housing association or other organisation in the social sector.

The top five are Hackney (40.5 per cent households), Islington (40.2 per cent), Southwark (39.7 per cent), Tower Hamlets (35.9 per cent) and Camden (33.7 per cent).

The highest proportion in England outside London is in Norwich (30.3 per cent) and in Wales it is Torfaen (23.8 per cent).

The lowest areas are Castle Point in Essex (5.5 per cent), Wyre in Lancashire (7.6 per cent), Wokingham in Berkshire (7.7 per cent), Oadby & Wigston in Leicestershire (7.9 per cent) and Ribble Valley in Lancashire (8.0 per cent).