7. What is the Welsh Government doing to increase the number of affordable homes in north-east Wales? OAQ(5)0632(FM)

We support a range of housing tenures in the north-east of Wales and, indeed, across Wales. We will continue to invest in social housing and affordable home ownership. In addition, we are bringing forward new programmes aiming to make buying a home more accessible.

Thank you, First Minister. I welcome this Government’s commitment to creating new, decent and affordable homes. We’re actually seeing this commitment put into action in Flintshire, with the partnership of a Labour council and a Welsh Labour Government working together to see the first new council houses in a generation—82 new council houses. I had the pleasure of going to visit the first few that are now open with my colleague David Hanson and with the Cabinet Secretary for local government. These are really amazing, brilliant new homes for people in the heart of Flint, in the heart of the community. First Minister, will you today give a further concrete commitment—if you’d excuse the pun—to build on this and ensure much greater numbers of affordable, decent homes under this Government?

I very much welcome the building of new homes, particularly by an innovative council such as Flintshire. I’ve seen the homes; indeed, I’ve seen them twice in the past fortnight, for reasons that she’ll be familiar with. But it’s an innovative approach that’s been taken in Flintshire. We want to see more of that approach across the whole of Wales. Flintshire are ahead in their approach to council house building. I want others to follow the example of a good Labour-led authority.