MIKE HEDGES AM
QUESTIONS FIRST MINISTER ON HOW THE WELSH GOVERNMENT CAN SUPPORT AND INCREASE
IN COUNCIL HOUSE BUILDING.
Speaking
after the Plenary session at The Assembly, Mike Hedges said….. Housing is one
of the main challenges faced by the Welsh Government; having a good house to
live in is crucial in so many areas of life. Poor housing often goes hand in
hand with poor health and poor housing is often a significant issue blighting
the early years of many of our children. I believe that encouraging councils to
build more homes is crucial to meeting these challenges.
I
welcome the First Minister’s commitment to supporting council house building
programmes and welcome the Innovative Housing Programme which is supporting
Swansea Councils new building program. I have visited the site in Penlan and
look forward to visiting the new development about to start in Birchgrove.
Building energy efficient homes like these is a big step on the path to
addressing the housing crisis faced by many Swansea families.
3. Mike Hedges AM - How
many council houses does the First Minister expect will be built in the 2019/20
financial year? OAQ53114
First Minister
of Wales
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I thank Mike Hedges for
the question. The latest plans we have suggest that local authorities expect to
build around 600 new council homes in Wales during the next financial
year. 57
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Can I thank the First
Minister for his response? The First Minister is well aware the only time
post-second world war when sufficient housing was built was when large-scale council
housing development took place—dare I say, in places like Ely. How will the
Welsh Government help councils increase the number of council houses being
built in future years? 58
First Minister
of Wales
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First of all, just to
absolutely agree with Mike Hedges that we are surrounded by examples of what
previous generations succeeded in doing in making sure that there was
sufficient housing available—decent housing available, housing built to proper
standards to house families and others in our towns and cities. And we have an
obligation in our generation to do the same as well. My Saturday surgeries are
dominated, as I know many Members here are dominated, by people who come
through the door with housing problems and it's an urgent public policy issue,
and it's why I was determined that there would be a Minister with direct
housing responsibilities in the Cabinet here in Wales.59
There are a series of
things we are already doing, of course. My colleague, Rebecca Evans, set up the
affordable housing supply review, and that has a workstream specifically
considering what support local authorities need to help them to do more to
build council housing here in Wales. And we expect recommendations from that
review in April of this year. We have welcomed the lifting of the borrowing cap
by the UK Government, which we've called for for some time. That will allow
local authorities to borrow within the prudential borrowing rules to allow them
to do more. We recognise that some local authorities don't have the capacity
directly themselves to do everything they would like to do, and partnerships
with housing associations are increasingly important.
60
are increasingly
important. Being innovative in the way that local authorities go
about the business of building more council houses—off-site manufacturing, for
example, needs to be a greater part of future supply, and Swansea council is
actively involved in our innovative housing programme and I'm sure will want to
be part of the effort that Mike Hedges has pointed to this afternoon.
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