5. What measures will the Welsh Government introduce to increase the supply of affordable housing in south-east Wales? OQ56222

We have made a record investment in affordable housing this Senedd term, making a significant impact on the delivery of affordable homes. During 2019-20, we invested just over £33 million in the South Wales East region, through our social housing and housing finance grants, and that equated to 361 new social homes in 2019-20, and we expect that to increase this year.

Thank you. Llywydd, can I just declare an interest as a Monmouthshire county councillor? I've just been told.

Minister, the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the process of the local authorities to renew the local development plan. This will affect the building of affordable homes until a replacement plan is agreed. And even then, it could approximately take two years until houses become available. They need to be able to build houses despite a plan not being in place. Your Government has set a target of 50-50 affordable to commercial housing, which councils accept but recognise it will not be easy to achieve. What consideration have you given to allow local authorities emergency powers to deliver the much-needed affordable housing across South Wales East?

So, we're very happy to work with local authorities. Now that we've managed to remove the Conservative Government's cap on the housing revenue accounts across all of the stockholding councils in Wales, councils have been working at pace to build council houses again in Wales. We've also worked, of course, very closely with all of our registered social landlords to build housing at pace. You'll be aware, I'm sure, that we've been assisting, through our innovative housing programme, a number of what's called modern methods of construction contractors around Wales to build factory-built very lovely carbon neutral or carbon-passive housing across Wales. And we're very happy to work with any council that has a plan in place to accelerate that, whether using its own housing revenue account or by utilising Welsh Government funding, or, indeed, a leverage of the different arrangements. So, we're very happy to work with Monmouthshire or any other council that wants to bring forward a range of social housing.

That's not to say, of course, that that doesn't have to be inside the local development plan, and indeed the regional strategic plan. I'm pleased to say that my colleague Ken Skates and I have a meeting with the 10 authorities that are coming together to make the south-east corporate joint committee to look again at the strategic development plan, which would allow us to properly place housing across the region in a sustainable way that enhances both the housing arrangements of people, but also their health and general well-being within the meaning of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 as well. So, we've been very pleased with the co-operation of both councils and RSLs in that plan, and I look forward to working with them going forward.