In a speech in the Senedd, , the Cabinet Secretary for
Housing, Local Government and Planning outlined her key
priorities for her new portfolio.
Addressing the Chamber, The Cabinet Secretary said: “My new
portfolio of Housing, Local Government and Planning, brings
together the key elements required to deliver my top-most
priorities; tackling homelessness and the commitment to deliver
20,000 additional homes for rent in the social sector.”
To achieve these priorities, the Cabinet Secretary intends to
formalise the strategic relationship between local government and
the Welsh Government.
The Programme for Government outlines the Welsh Government's
ambitious target of delivering 20,000 homes for an affordable
social rent this Senedd term.
The national development plan, Future Wales, identifies that over
the period 2019-2039 around 110,000 new homes will be required in
Wales.
By working more closely and effectively with local government and
continuing to strengthen the resilience of planning services, we
can maximise our chance of delivering much-needed homes in Wales.
The Cabinet Secretary continued: “With a stronger, more resilient
planning system, and a more strategic relationship with local
authorities, I am confident we can maximise our chances and
deliver more affordable homes in Wales.”
Recent statistics show that in 2022-23, the delivery of
affordable housing by local authority partners tripled in the
last five years.
Support to deliver affordable homes has been provided through a
record investment in the Social Housing Grant, additional
investment and flexibility through the Transitional Accommodation
Capital Programme and the much-needed uplift to the Housing
Support Grant.
Resilient planning systems are essential to delivering affordable
homes and work is already underway to improve planning services
and resourcing.
The Cabinet Secretary will be engaging with Corporate Joint
Committees to address resourcing and to improve resilience.
Local authorities were also encouraged to review their Local
Development Plans in a timely manner to strengthen the resilience
of planning services and speed up processes.
Ensuring the safety of homes is another key priority and the
Cabinet Secretary recently announced a route to remediation for
every residential building over 11 metres, irrespective of the
presence of cladding.
The Cabinet Secretary also plans to introduce legislation to
establish a new regulatory system in Wales, create clearer lines
of accountability and impose a range of statutory duties on
relevant “duty-holders” of multi-occupied residential
buildings.
