6. Statement by the Minister for Housing and Local Government: Update on the Housing Support Grant

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:18 pm on 11 February 2020.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 5:18, 11 February 2020

As I say, today isn't the day that we're discussing the budget. Today was the day that we were discussing the guidance, which has been co-produced and welcomed across the sector.

Mark Isherwood mentioned some previous campaigns that he's been involved in, and I know that he has been involved in those campaigns, but one of them, for instance, was about stopping the abolition of Supporting People, but actually the sector very much welcomes the way that the new housing support grant works, and although I understood their concerns at the time, now it's very obvious that we were right to do what we did and that this is a much more efficient and effective system. So not all of the campaigns—although I understand the concerns of the sector—are always the best thing to do, because actually it turns out that it was much better to combine the grants and have a system that is a much more flexible set of housing support grant availability. So I'll just use that as a demonstration that sometimes change is resisted because it's change, and actually it turns out to be a better situation than we had in the first place. So, this is clearly one of those times.

In terms of the rest of Mark Isherwood's remarks, of course we're talking about the co-production of the guidance, and we're also talking about the homelessness strategy, which has to be consulted on as part of the original homelessness Act. Sorry; I've suddenly got a tickle in my throat. It's important not to conflate the two. I'm not suggesting you were, Mark Isherwood, but I do think it's very important to understand that what we're talking about here is the guidance and the way that the guidance is being produced, and then what the authorities have to do in order to commission the services that come out of it, and the way that that works together with the homelessness prevention strategy overall. I'll leave it there then.