Agenda and minutes

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

1.2        Apologies for absence were received from Sam Rowlands MS. Samuel Kurtz MS substituted for Sam in accordance with Standing Order 17.48.

1.3        The following Members made declarations of relevant interests under Standing Order 17.24A:

·         Carolyn Thomas MS

·         Samuel Kurtz MS

·         Joel James MS

·         Alun Davies MS

1.4        The Chair stated that if for any reason he dropped out of the meeting, the Committee agreed that Alun Davies MS would become Temporary Chair in accordance with Standing Order 17.22.

2.1 The Committee agreed the motion.

3.1 The Committee considered the Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) and agreed to write to the Minister for Climate Change on a number of matters raised.

Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change

Emma Williams, Director, Housing and Regeneration, Welsh Government

Amelia John, Deputy Director, Housing Policy Division, Welsh Government

Francois Samuel, Head of Building Regulations, Welsh Government

Dr Jess Pearce, Deputy Director, Housing Safety, Regulation and Improvement Division, Welsh Government

4.1 The Committee received evidence from:

·       Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change

·       Emma Williams, Director, Housing and Regeneration, Welsh Government

·       Amelia John, Deputy Director, Housing Policy Division, Welsh Government

·       Francois Samuel, Head of Building Regulations, Welsh Government

·       Dr Jess Pearce, Deputy Director, Housing Safety, Regulation and Improvement Division, Welsh Government

Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government

Reg Mitchell-Kilpatrick, Director General, Covid Crisis Coordination, Welsh Government

Claire Germain, Deputy Director, Local Government Transformation and Partnerships, Welsh Government

5.1 The Committee received evidence from:

·         Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government

·         Reg Mitchell-Kilpatrick, Director General, Covid Crisis Coordination, Welsh Government

Claire Germain, Deputy Director, Local Government Transformation and Partnerships, Welsh Government

5.2 The Minister for Finance and Local Government agreed to provide:

·         A note on the work of the independent remuneration panel in relation to Councillor remuneration, as well as a copy of the panel’s annual report, when published;

·         A note on the remaining £2billion that was unallocated in the June 2021 supplementary budget;

·         An update on the recommendations and current work of the Independent Review Panel on community and town councils.

6.1.a The Committee noted the letter from the Finance Committee in relation to the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2022-23.

6.2.a The Committee noted the letter from the Welsh Language Commissioner in relation to the Committee's work.

6.3.a The Committee noted the letter from the Children, Young People and Education Committee in relation to its priorities.

6.4.a The Committee noted the report by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales "Homes Fit for the Future: The Retrofit Challenge".

6.5.a The Committee noted the letter from the NHBC in relation to the housing sector and "NHBC Accepts".

6.6.a The Committee noted the letter from the Bevan Foundation in relation to poverty and inequality policy areas.

6.7.a The Committee noted the letter from Llyr Gruffydd MS to the Minister for Finance and Local Government in relation to local authority electoral boundaries.

6.8.a The Committee noted the Parliamentary briefing from the Electoral Commission in relation to the Elections Bill.

6.9.a The Committee noted the letter from the Equality and Social Justice Committee in relation to joint working between committees.

6.10.a The Committee noted the briefing Llamau in relation to Upstream Cymru.

7.1 The Committee discussed the evidence received under items 4 and 5 and agreed to write to the Minister for Climate Change and to the Minister for Finance and Local Government on a number of matters raised.