Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:50 pm on 1 May 2018.
Thank you very much for those questions. I do very much recognise that the market in Newport is being impacted by the plans to scrap the tolls on the second Severn crossing. I recognise that and we're very alive to that in Government.
That is why I was so pleased to attend, this week, the launch of Melin Homes's vision for Newport and parts of Monmouthshire for the next five years. They intend to build 1,000 new homes, but also, while they're doing that, trying to keep as much of the value as they possibly can within the community, which is why they're putting lots of focus on the work that they do in terms of employment and apprenticeships. I was really pleased to meet up with some of their apprentices and understand the benefits and the opportunities that they're having as a result of the investment that Melin Homes is making in them. And this is an opportunity for me to congratulate Melin Homes on being number 17 in The Sunday Times list of best not-for-profit organisations to work for. Certainly, speaking to those apprentices gave me a strong sense that they felt that they were very much being invested in and that they were working in an organisation where they felt valued as part of that culture. And the organisation, as well, has a really strong focus on encouraging women within it, and they hope to promote or attract women to take on larger numbers of their maintenance jobs as well, so moving women and providing opportunities for women in fields where they haven't always been available. So, that's certainly very positive, and I look forward to those 1,000 homes coming forward in the Newport area.
On co-operatives, I also think there are opportunities for co-operatives in the future, as we look to where we go beyond leasehold. Because we've got the Law Commission review going on at the moment, which I wrote to Assembly Members about earlier on today, but actually I think that we could be looking at co-operative models for running blocks or even estates and so on in future. So, I think there is plenty of potential for co-operatives to come much more to the fore in terms of how we deliver housing and those associated services in Wales as well.
On the empty properties, I did outline in my response to Bethan Jenkins some of the schemes that we have, but I think there is an issue as well, which I've asked officials to advise me on, in discussion with officials from Ken Skates's department, about compulsory purchases, because often it is the case, not only for housing but also in terms of high street regeneration, that owners either can't be found, in many cases, or that they're reluctant to let go of properties that are proving to be a blight on the high street or that aren't being used to a purpose for social good. So, I think that this is an area, again, that we can be making some inroads into, working across Government.