For many years now the accepted wisdom was that market housing built by developers would deliver the affordable housing needed to meet demand. Now, on these benches we want to challenge that, because, for all the promises made and targets set, delivery hasn't matched the demand. In fact delivery—as we've heard from Leanne, delivery of affordable housing hasn’t matched the numbers that have been granted permission over the past decade. Stats Wales report that local authorities have granted planning permission for 13,355 affordable houses, but only 6,746 were actually built—just over 50 per cent. In some authorities, the figure's even worse. In Wrexham, for example, just 16 per cent of those granted planning permission have been delivered.

Councils with diminishing resources are reliant on private developers delivering affordable housing targets. So, why are so few of these affordable houses being delivered? In some cases, as we've heard, there's no doubt developers try to wriggle out of affordable housing provision, typically 25 per cent on larger developments, by claiming they're not viable. They will claim, and are backed by planning inspectors, that a 15 to 20 per cent profit is what makes housing viable. I'm sure many other industries would love to be able to post a 15 to 20 per cent profit.

In other cases, the market housing just isn't built, and so much needed affordable housing also isn't built, leaving thousands of people stuck on housing waiting lists in overcrowded accommodation or among the hidden homeless. In a few cases, affordable housing turns out to have clauses requiring large deposits that make them then unaffordable for the very people they're designed for. It's clear from the statistics that I just quoted that the current preferred delivery mechanism for so-called affordable housing isn't working. Open-market housing isn't the way to deliver affordable housing.

It's also clear that relying on developers to lead on housing means that communities are often an afterthought in our planning process. Local development plans should be about community-led development, not developer-led communities. They should also be ensuring that the necessary community infrastructure, as Leanne said—whether it's roads, schools, health and social provision—is developed in tandem with any large-scale development, and not as an afterthought, if at all. Health boards aren’t even statutory consultees on planning matters, despite the huge impact new populations would clearly have on hard-pressed GP surgeries, on A&E departments and on hospital services. Again, without the right provision, building new homes in some areas can be disastrous. The limitations of the social housing grant and other financial pressures mean that housing associations are not delivering affordable housing as they once were.

One chink of light is that, for the first time in a generation, as we have heard, some councils in Wales are starting to build council houses again. Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Flintshire and Wrexham, among others, have started to replenish depleted housing stocks, but, after decades without any new builds, it's a painfully slow process, and not fully tackling the desperate need for housing in many of our communities. It also doesn't address the fact that half of our authorities no longer have any council housing, due to the policy of stock transfer undertaken over a decade ago. I wonder how those councils that transferred feel now that the capacity to build new houses is being made available for those that retained their housing stock. One underrated but important feature is that this is not only a building programme, but is also a buy-back programme, so that former council houses are bought back into council ownership.

In some areas there are limited funds to renovate housing. There are thousands of empty homes across Wales, many owned by people without the means to renovate so that they can be let or sold on. A small-scale scheme exists where councils provide loans of up to £50,000 to do this kind of work. The loan is repaid when the house is sold or let, so the pot is maintained, but this needs officers to push and liaise with house owners to get the work done, and, with limited resource, this kind of work is not happening quickly enough or at all.

So, it's clear there's more than one way to tackle the social housing crisis, but we need to scale up the available funding to ensure that initiatives deliver. I endorse the call today for greater investment in social housing, council housing, to meet demand in our communities and to redress the balance in our housing stock. The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in private rented housing, and in the worst cases these are little better than slum landlords letting out rooms for £90 to £100 a week. The lack of good-quality, affordable housing has allowed these types of landlords to profit from people's misery. A home isn't just a building. It provides a roof over people's heads. It provides security and safety. A secure home enables families to plan for the future, it reduces stress and reliance on health and social services. We need to see beyond the bricks and mortar and understand the wider impact of good-quality affordable housing in our country.