Social Housing

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:47 pm on 4 March 2020.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:47, 4 March 2020

Yes, indeed, I'm very pleased that Carmarthenshie have embraced the innovative housing programme in the way that they have. We've put £5.7 million in, as I think I've already said, in the first few years to deliver 39 very innovative homes in Carmarthenshire, to monitor them to see whether they do what they say and to bring forward plans to build very many more.

In 2018-19, Carmarthenshire, as a stock-retaining authority, were allocated funding of £2.8 million to support the build of new council housing through the affordable housing grant, and then another £1.8 million in 2019-20. As I was just saying in response to an earlier question, we are looking, as a result of the affordable housing review, at the way that we do grants. The affordable housing review wanted us to look at the way we do grants for building new housing, but it also wanted us to look at the way that we do what's called 'dowry' for the large stock transfers and for the stock-retaining councils. And when I bring forward the oral statement, Deputy Presiding Officer, which I mentioned earlier, we will be covering off what we are expecting in return for what is a very substantial investment in terms of bringing existing stock—once we've done the Welsh housing quality standard, which we have—up another level. And so, that work is ongoing and I hope to be able to report it to the Assembly shortly.