North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has questioned the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Carl Sargeant AM, this week over social housing delivery, emphasising the need for local authorities to work with housing associations.
Raising the issue in the Assembly Chamber yesterday, he said:
“As you know, Community Housing Cymru signed a compact with the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association last December, underpinned by a commitment for housing associations to work in partnership to maximise housing delivery for the local area. What reciprocal responsibility lies with local authorities to work with housing associations to ensure that their resources also maximise social housing delivery for the local area?”
The Cabinet Secretary replied: “The compact changed last year, so it includes now the Welsh Local Government Association. So, local authorities are very keen to ensure that they work with housing associations even where stock retention has remained in some local authorities, like where the Member lives. So, there is operational work between the authority, registered social landlords that work in the area, and Government. That’s what the compact was all about, and it’s extended to a tripartite agreement now.”
Mr Isherwood added: “It is therefore essential that when local authorities state that they are building ‘Council Houses’, they have engaged closely with housing associations operating locally to ensure that they are delivering together the maximum number and quality of new social homes possible with the investment being made.”
ENDS