Housing associations in Wales have helped the previous Welsh Government smash its target of building 10,000 affordable homes, says Edwina O’Hart.
In the five years up to this May’s election, 11,508 properties were constructed across Wales – and 94 per cent of the homes completed in the last 12 months were built by housing associations.
It’s another piece of good news for the sector and came within hours of the draft Budget and the announcement of a £1.36bn capital allocation for affordable housing between now and 2021.
It has always been accepted that social landlords will play a key role in helping the present Welsh Government achieve its new five-year target of 20,000 affordable homes. The latest figures and draft Budget prove that not only is there the ability to deliver but ministerial confidence in Welsh social landlords to do what they promise. We look forward to signing a Housing Supply Pact with Welsh Government and the WLGA in the coming weeks.
So it will come as no surprise that the sector will be telling this story at one of the major events in the social housing calendar in Cardiff this December.
The Annual Conference hosted by Community Housing Cymru will explore the challenges facing a post Brexit Wales and how social landlords will respond and adapt to changing circumstances. The conference will also mark the launch of ‘Housing Horizons’, an exciting project which will set the vision for the sector in Wales, as we embark on the next chapter.
More than 200 delegates will attend the event at the Principality Stadium, which for the second year running will feature the Apprenticeship Challenge. Over the course of the two days 15 young people will perform a number of tasks in teams of three. Each team will be supported by mentors, made up of CIH’s Rising Stars and apprentices who took part in the challenge last year.
The conference will be chaired by broadcaster and journalist Sian Lloyd and the opening keynote address will be given by Carl Sargeant, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children.
Other speakers include political journalist Isabel Hardman, Helen White, chair of the Regulatory Board for Wales, the Risk Doctor, Dr David Hillson and Professor Laura McAllister of the Wales Governance Centre.
One of the expected highlights will be the pre-dinner address by Wales Football Manager Chris Coleman. Following the national team’s recent successes in the UEFA Euro 2016 Chris will be talking tactics and hopefully giving us more of an insight into himself and his star players.
For more information about the conference and to book a place, visit http://chcymru.org.uk/comms/Annual-Conf-2016/
Edwina O’Hart is assistant director of communications and member services at Community Housing Cymru