, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Okay, fine.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
So, the Warm Homes programme, the capital, doesn’t come from that decarbonisation pot—that figure of £93 million. So, where does that fit in? Where is the Warm Homes programme line, therefore? What is the headline there where that fits in? Is that under the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Okay. And the Warm Homes programme. Does that come under that umbrella in terms of the funding? Because there is a 7 per cent increase in capital there. Does that come from that pot?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Right, okay. And what about the remainder? That is almost £90 million. So, there is £6 million remaining that goes towards—.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Eighteen million?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Just to get the facts on the record, therefore, I believe that the entire budget is £96 million for the decarbonisation programmes. So, you say that £72 million is for the ORP. How much is going towards increasing the WHQS in the private sector?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
How much funding is going to the programme? How much funding will be provided for the optimised retrofit programme? And perhaps you can explain what the priorities of the programme are in moving forward now, because the current phase is coming to an end…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Thank you very much. Turning to decarbonisation and housing standards, could you, first of all, confirm how much capital expenditure on decarbonisation will go towards the optimised retrofit programme?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
So, at the moment, there's no hope that there's any funding, extra funding, going to come through Welsh Government. Your hopes are that you'll be able to convince the Treasury that third sector organisations should be exempt from national insurance. Is that…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Diolch. So, rydych chi'n ei wneud yn glir bod y £21 miliwn yna, gan fwyaf, ar gyfer y real living wage. Felly, sut ydych chi'n mynd i fod yn gallu cefnogi'r sector yma—y pobl sy'n cael y grant cymorth tai—i fedru ffeindio arian ar gyfer talu'r cynnydd yn yr…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Ac mae Llamau yn dweud rhywbeth tebyg hefyd ac yn galw am arian ychwanegol er mwyn gallu cynnal y lefel o wasanaeth yn sgil y cynnydd yn yr yswiriant gwladol. Faint o'r £21 miliwn yma sydd yn mynd i fynd yn ôl i'r Trysorlys yn y Deyrnas Unedig fel cyfraniadau…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
'there are now significant concerns about the impact of the increase in National Insurance contributions. This poses an additional huge risk to the sustainability of high-quality services, which could leave local government without the tools they need to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
The issue that causes great concern, of course, is the increase in the national insurance contributions, as you mentioned. So, when that £21 million was allocated by you at the beginning, that consideration wasn't there at the time in terms of the national…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
But it's not enough. It's a first step.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Do you believe that the £21 million will mean an increase in the real living wage for everyone in the sector? Is £21 million sufficient to create the change that you and I want to see?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Thank you very much. Turning now to the housing support grant, and I believe, since I’ve been a Member of the Senedd, every time we discuss the budget, and the draft budget, the issue of the housing support grant, at times, becomes a very controversial and…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government (Housing)
Just to pick up on that final point, I agree entirely with you in terms of the need to increase the LHA. I think that would make a major difference, wouldn't it? So, what discussions are you having with the UK Government on this, and what kind of response are…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Yes. Just to say I was quoting Audit Wales—it's not my own opinion.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you. Audit Wales, of course, says that there is a need for more long-term planning. We have mentioned this morning the need for budgets that are multi-year. I think that we are quite clear that you feel that that would be of assistance to you with…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
I just had one other thing I wanted to ask: are you certain that this £109 million will be for that increase in NI? What about the pay uplifts? There is great money needed there towards those. Does this £109 million include those pay uplifts, according to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
What's your experience in the other councils? Does anyone have any clarity about the £109 million?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Of course, there is talk of £109 million in addition that will come to you to cover this increase in the NI contributions. There is money coming, but what you're saying is that the money will be late in the day, perhaps, and also that there is great…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Good morning. I'm turning to discuss national insurance contributions, and I would like to know from you what the effect of the UK Government's decision to increase national insurance contributions will be on employers, including local government, of course…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
I should probably note that I have two members of my family who work for a county council. So, I'm just noting that.
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Establishment of a school of dentistry in Bangor
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thanks to everyone who has contributed. I think it's been a very positive debate, recognising the challenges, but also offering solutions, so that's a very good thing. Carolyn started by referring to the increasing cost of…
