Funding for Social Housing

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 25 September 2018.

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Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative 2:01, 25 September 2018

First Minister, you no doubt would have heard the Prime Minister's announcement for £2 billion for social homes in England and she emphasised her pride in social housing, and I think we should all share that pride. It's been at the heart of the great house-building programmes throughout the last century. Sadly, it's tailed off in the twenty-first century. As part of the UK Government's commitment to transform house building, it will give assured funding to housing associations, giving them long-term certainty to invest. And this is something that they've called for repeatedly here in Wales. So, under the English scheme, associations will be able to apply for funding stretching as far ahead as 2028-29.

Now, when we get the Barnett consequential—these moneys do come on-stream in the 2020s—will you make a similar commitment to ring-fence this money for social housing and sort out the grant schemes to housing associations, so that they can invest for the long term and, at last, lead us to an age where we build enough houses for the people who need to live in them?