Agenda and minutes

1.1     The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Local Government and Housing Committee

1.2     Apologies were given by Laura Anne Jones MS and Lesley Griffiths MS. Carolyn Thomas MS substituted for Lesley Griffiths MS.

1.3     Lee Waters MS recused himself from items 2 and 7, in light of his work with the Welsh Government’s affordable housing taskforce.

1.4     Carolyn Thomas declared an interest as she is currently leading the ‘Its for Them’ project on biodiversity on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Welsh Government

Emma Williams, Director of Housing and Regeneration, Welsh Government

Stuart Fitzgerald, Deputy Director, Homes and Places, Welsh Government

Jamie Powell, Deputy Director of Finance, Welsh Government

2.1     The Chair received evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.

2.2     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to provide a note to  clarify budget allocations for  the Warm Homes Programme, including how allocations are spread across different Budget Expenditure Lines.

Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Welsh Government

Reg Kilpatrick, Director, Local Government, Welsh Government

Judith Cole, Deputy Director Local Government Finance Policy & Sustainability, Welsh Government

3.1     The Committee received evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.

3.2     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to share examples of videos explaining how the Welsh Government work with local governments, specifically a group chaired by the WLGA who focus on decarbonisation of local government estates

3.3     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to provide the committee with a note about BREEAM standards and targets in relation to how these targets have increased alongside new funding requirements

3.4     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to share a note on how the Welsh Government, WLGA and Audit Wales are working on a protocol on financial resilience in relation to section 114.

3.5     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to provide the committee with a note setting out examples of how the Welsh Government is engaging with local authorities.

3.6     The Cabinet Secretary agreed to provide a note to the committee about capital funding for local governments. How the Welsh Government were able to increase funding to allow local authorities to respond the Government’s joint prioritisation of decarbonisation through the Low-Carbon heat grant - £30 million. Providing examples of how this funding can be used for stand-alone projects as part of wider capital programmes .

4.1     The Committee noted the letter.

4.2     The Committee noted the letter.

4.3     The Committee noted the letter.

4.4     The Committee noted the letter.

5.1     The motion was agreed.

6.1     The Committee considered the evidence received.

7.1     The Committee considered the evidence received.