Mark Isherwood
Shadow Housing Minister Mark Isherwood has asked the Finance Minister how those local authorities whose tenants have voted for council housing stock to remain in local authority ownership, including Flintshire and Wrexham, will be able to bring their housing stock up to the required Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), with the funding available.
Raising the matter with the Finance Minister in the Assembly this week, he said:
“Given that the borrowing cap agreed between the Welsh Government and HM Treasury for local authorities to exit the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy leaves a borrowing headroom of only £471 million, how do you anticipate the stock retention local authorities in Wales funding the achievement of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard and maintaining that for the 30 years required?”
The Minister replied that local authorities “will have the financial flexibility to invest in housing, with tenants benefitting from improvements to their homes, which include, of course, meeting the Welsh Housing Quality Standard”.
Mr Isherwood added:
“I regret that the Minister’s reply avoided an answer to my specific question, where achievement of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is supposed to be about giving people housing standards which are mandatory and communities the regeneration they need. The borrowing which will now be available will have to be spread across the 11 local authorities which have retained their council housing , including Flintshire and Wrexham, which were amongst three local authorities which had to submit revised plans to the Minister after being identified as not having realistic business plans to achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.”
