WHQ met with Jocelyn Davies AM to talk about the scope of her new portfolio.
Q – Regeneration is an often-used word and can mean different things to different people. What does the Assembly mean by regeneration in its strategies/policies?
A – Regeneration is not just about physical regeneration – refurbishing old buildings, demolishing things that are past their time – that’s the easy bit. We’re looking at more people-focused issues. This actually goes across all portfolios within the Assembly Government. And of course, it must encompass physical regeneration of buildings and areas.
It’s a bit different from housing – you can count the number of houses you have built and get to grips with housing-related support. Regeneration is a much broader and complex issue and sometimes includes things that you wouldn’t on the face of it think of as regeneration.
For instance, I visited a breastfeeding mums group in Torfaen. They were linked to a local food co-op and were looking at better nutrition and a better quality of life. I also visited Rhyl where it was decided to knock down some houses in multiple occupation, which has increased the amount of green space in the area. So regeneration can sometimes mean demolition – in this case, it was the best thing to do given the housing problems the community had.
Regeneration projects are hugely diverse and this can make the concept difficult to explain and pin down. It is about rebuilding communities and building the confidence of people within communities. And the great thing is that a small amount of money can make a big difference – take an allotment project linked to a local school which can lead to lots of children eating more healthy food.
And it means that I can poke my nose into alI the portfolios of my colleagues – much better than working in silos.
Q – What difference do you think having regeneration as part of your portfolio will make?
A – There are lots of links between housing and regeneration – I perhaps didn’t realise to what extent regeneration is linked to housing until we brought the portfolios together. Bringing together the portfolios provides an opportunity to reduce and hopefully eliminate the barriers between processes.
We’ve recently launched the Arbed scheme – which will work across all housing tenures, develop green jobs and benefit the poorest people in our communities. This could result in new technologies and materials being developed here in Wales – we could be ahead of the game in terms of training people to be able to use new materials and potentially levering in investment.
I’ve also been looking at projects that bring empty homes back into use. We have more freedom on the regeneration side of things in relation to relatively small amounts of money compared to the limitations of the Social Housing Grant programme. I hope that this kind of initiative will continue after the 2011 Assembly elections.
We will be looking to establish links between areas rather than look at the differences. It also provides an opportunity to think outside what we normally do.
The regeneration budget is not huge, but it usually levers in other money – local authority, private sector, from other Assembly Government departments – so it can do a lot. Some regeneration projects are complex – there are a lot of ducks to line up to get them implemented – but the impact on people in communities can be immense.
Personally, the expanded portfolio means that I will be much busier – a lot of people want to see me. It has been incredibly interesting already visiting a range of projects. Regeneration is definitely adding another dimension to our work – it is as much about the people who live in the communities as about the housing that they live in.
Q – Looking back, what do you think have been the most notable achievements of this administration in relation to housing and regeneration?
A – We’ve seen an increase in money invested in housing, particularly in relation to new build – this has been possible because of the relationship that has been built with the housing sector. I think that this trust has been the most important achievement along with the willingness of the sector to engage with the Assembly Government.
We had our target for new affordable housing and the sector said we want to help you meet that target. I was able to say to fellow Ministers, if you allocate money to my area, we can spend it and get good outcomes from that money.
The relationship with local authorities has improved a lot – it is more mature on all sides now. The micro management has gone, the Assembly Government’s Housing Directorate is not so bogged down in detail and we are better off all round. I feel really privileged to have had the opportunity to work in this way.
Progress towards the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is also something we can be really proud of. The recession doesn’t mean any let up for the Welsh Housing Quality Standard – it’s still got to be achieved. We developed the community mutual rules and tenants feel more comfortable about transfer as a result. If tenants vote for stock transfer, it means investment coming quickly into an area at a time of recession, something that can have a real impact on communities.
And achieving the Essex Review itself, that was a significant achievement.
Q – Looking forward to the year between now and the 2011 Assembly elections, what are going to be the most significant challenges?
A – Budget reductions are going to be a challenge. Housing has been a priority for the last few years in Wales, which was not the case in the first few years after devolution. We will still be trying to provide the services that people need despite budget reductions – all Ministers will face the same challenge.
There is unfinished business in a number of areas – rents, the Housing Revenue Account and Supporting People. I want to build a consensus about which areas will become Regeneration Areas and which regeneration projects will be funded. There is also the development of the Welsh Housing Investment Trust – something completely new which will help to make Assembly Government investment go further.
We also need to maintain the good relationships we have been able to build.
The recession won’t last for ever but we want to make sure that housing is not forgotten and left as something you only do in good times.
I hope that after the next Assembly election, housing will be in a good place from which to move forward. Having a Minister devoted to housing has definitely made a difference over the past few years.
Q – You launched the national housing strategy in April – what are its key messages?
A – The strategy is brief. Its main messages are that housing is not just a bricks and mortar issue and it is not about one tenure – a holistic view is needed.
Homes need to be part of communities and it is great for regeneration to underpin this. But the home is central to many aspects of life, including wellbeing; it is crucial that people are not ashamed to let visitors in to their homes because of poor repair.
Q – Is there anything else you would like to say to WHQ readers?
A – Back in the mid 1980s, I was the beneficiary of a regeneration initiative myself and can vouch for the confidence it gave me to go on and do other things.