, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
Okay. I know we've got to finish soon, Cadeirydd, so I'll be quiet now.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
When I was a councillor, I can remember having big arguments with the housing department, trying to get a local developer, who said, 'I've got these three units, which have got the footings in, can you buy them?' And, actually, it's the prescriptiveness of it.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
Do you think there should be more flexibility, allowing people to buy off plan?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
This is where the planning system comes into a lot of it, isn't it? It's around mixed tenure housing developments, isn't it? It's not just having all social housing estates over there and then all private here, then perhaps mixed social rents somewhere else…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
It's one thing when you talk about public land, but public land sometimes can be in some quite difficult places to build, and there is a prejudice that comes with social housing, isn't there, in some communities. I got experience of that when I was a cabinet…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
Well, anybody. Don't all jump at once, it's fine.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
Yes, if I can. I want to talk about land, if that's okay. A lot of public authorities own land—so, the Welsh Government own a lot of land, local authorities own a lot of land. What do you think should be their guiding principles with regard to publicly owned…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
I just wanted to make sure you were including local authorities in that, not just the social housing landlords. Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 2
On that point, do you have the same view on the HRA paying for building houses? Because, obviously, rent is going to the HRA to build houses in local authority control. Would you have the same view that the HRA shouldn't be being used to build houses in local…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
But you do get the rub, then, don't you, between local authorities wanting to deliver housing, whether that's open-market housing, social housing or affordable housing, and if you get—. This is from a councillor perspective, and I know a lot of them who sit…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
Well, I was actually going to go on to 106s, John, if that's all right, and the amount of affordable units delivered via 106s. It's something that I was always very keen on when I was cabinet member for planning, but, unfortunately, with the planning system…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
Yes, just one point. The amount of public land that is owned by local authorities, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales—they all own vast swathes of public land. I'm interested in what your views would be, probably from a Welsh Government perspective…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
On planning, one thing that's happened in certain parts of Wales and in my own part of the world is land banking by people—people getting planning on vast swathes of land and just leaving it sit there. They may put an access in or put the footings in…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
But you have to recognise as well, from my time on the coalface of doing this, that the housing revenue account that buys these properties also is a business account. If you're in local government, it has to have payback over a certain amount of time, and if…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
I'm interested in what you think the role of Government is in the acquisition of these private homes. Because I know that, when I was a local government cabinet member for housing in Powys, it was very difficult actually acquiring some properties, because…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Social housing supply: Evidence session 1
Yes, I did, on postwar levels, because the demographic of the workforce has changed. A lot more people now work in office environments, compared to construction. In the postwar era, a lot more people worked in the construction and building industry. I give…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Tourism
In swatting away that pesky fly earlier, I did say an unparliamentary word. I would just like to correct the record and apologise.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Tourism
I’m sure you meet many businesses, like I do, across the region, who are very concerned about the visitor levy and actually making sure that, when that tax does come into force, if it does, it's actually going to be re-implemented and given back to those…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Tourism
Cefin, will you take an intervention?
, Plenary
90-second Statements
Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Tomorrow is the inaugural Senedd dog of the year competition. This incentive serves as a powerful platform to highlight the profound bond between people and their dogs and the vital role that dogs play within Welsh society…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice
Cabinet Secretary, I recently visited the Battle Back Centre with the cross-party group on the armed forces. That centre does fantastic work supporting veterans in their recovery journey. Since the centre opened, it has helped 5,500 wounded, injured and sick…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your answer to Jane Dodds. Back on 24 April, I raised concerns with you about the cuts to the Heart of Wales line. You said then that you take incredibly seriously the needs of the people who live in rural Wales. You also…
, Plenary
The Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (Wales) Regulations 2024
I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for bringing forward these regulations. Today, my colleagues and I in the Welsh Conservative group will be supporting these regulations that you have tabled, as we firmly believe that the mandatory use of closed-circuit…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 17: Disqualification from being a Member of Senedd Cymru or local government (Amendments 112, 113, 10, 114, 125, 126, 128, 129)
I'd like to thank you, Adam, for comprehensively setting out your position over the last half an hour. You can come up for a breath now. I actually have sympathy over amendment 125 about Members of the Senedd who deliberately lie. I did have issues around…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Group 16: Abolition of the Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd (Amendment 6)
I just want to thank Adam for bringing this amendment forward today, and I do have great sympathy with this amendment, actually. I think that Wales is a very small country. Do we need all these different types of boards and set-ups to administer how expenses…
