7. How does the Welsh Government ensure that local authorities in Wales have sufficient land available to meet the demand for new housing developments? OAQ51558

The planning system plays a vital role in the delivery of new homes by identifying the land necessary to meet the housing requirements of communities, which are determined by local planning authorities in their local development plans.

Thank you for the answer, First Minister. The Welsh Government requires local planning authorities to maintain a five-year housing land supply to meet local demand for housing and to monitor this on an annual basis. However, Caerphilly County Borough Council's local development plan has failed to ensure sufficient deliverable land has been made available to meet the needs they have identified for their local communities. Caerphilly's housing land supply position is being hampered by the failure to make progress in replacing their LDP following a review, which began in 2013. What action will the First Minister take to ensure that Caerphilly council meet the requirements regarding housing land supply set by his own Government?  

Well, first of all, it's important that local authorities do have a five-year supply of land. Secondly, it's important to have an up-to-date LDP, because the alternative is a free-for-all and that's something that all local authorities will want to avoid. That said, I have to say it is hugely important that Caerphilly and other authorities are able to work together to bring forth strategic development plans, because it is an artificial divide to say, 'Well, you know, anybody who wants to live in Caerphilly has to work in Caerphilly' or that somehow people don't work in Cardiff from Rhondda Cynon Taf or vice versa. The reality is that housing demand is not determined by local authority boundaries. So, I do want to see—and I know it's something that is felt strongly by Members who represent constituencies where there's pressure on housing—local authorities working together and saying, 'Look, the reality is Cardiff, Caerphilly, Newport, RCT', just to give some examples, 'they're part of a similar urban area'. Housing demand will be the same in all local authorities, so it does make sense then to work together to deliver a strategic solution to housing demand rather than, as has historically been the case, simply looking at demand in one local authority area. That doesn't represent economic reality and it's hugely important that local authorities, as they have been given in the planning Act, are given the flexibility to work together to deliver housing solutions outside of their own boundaries.

And, finally, question 8—Dawn Bowden.