Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:34 pm on 13 December 2022.
Can I first of all join you, First Minister, in giving credit to those local authorities for the work they do already in looking to prevent homelessness, but recognise the challenge that they have at the moment, particularly over this Christmas period? As we know, there are around 14,000 people in Wales currently in temporary accommodation, and in evidence-taking through the Local Government and Housing Committee recently, councils and council leaders, whilst recognising that funding is part of that challenge—as you've pointed out already—talked about the lack of housing supply that they're finding particularly challenging at the moment. And you mentioned the ambition to deliver those 20,000 low-carbon social homes, but there are barriers at the moment that developers are facing to deliver on those homes, and one of those is around the phosphate regulations. And there's an example in my region of north Wales where, in a field on the English side of the border, new social houses are being built, and in a field on the Welsh side of the border, those houses aren't able to be built because of the phosphate regulations that are there. So, people in Wales are not having the houses built that are required for them. So, I wonder, First Minister, what action you will be taking to accelerate this ambition to deliver on those homes, rather than us standing here again, in two and three years' time, talking about the homelessness challenge that faces us.