Friday, April 1st, 2011

Plaid Minister boosts County Council’s Housing Plans

Plaid Cymru candidate for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr Rhodri Glyn Thomas and County Councillor Peter Hughes Griffiths have welcomed the Welsh Government’s permission in principle for the County Council’s 39 bungalow development to be excluded from the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Scheme.

The decision to exclude the properties from this scheme means that all rental income generated can be retained by the County Council instead of being clawed back by the UK Treasury.

Plaid’s Rhodri Glyn Thomas said:

“I am delighted that Plaid Cymru’s Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Jocelyn Davies, has given her permission in principle for the local authority to retain the rental income from these properties.

“Plaid in the Assembly and in Westminster has campaigned vigorously for the end of the wholly unfair Revenue Account Scheme which sees local authorities in Wales being mugged by the UK Treasury.

“Carmarthenshire County Council alone has paid back over £50million in the past 10 years .  It was only two weeks ago I made representations in the Assembly Chamber as to why the our local authority is looking at paying an approximate £5million again this year.

“This Scheme, set up by the Tories in 1989, amended for England local authorities by Labour in 2000, and scrapped completely for England local authorities by the ConDems, is wholly unacceptable and has led to chronic underinvestment in the council housing stock in Wales.

“The 39 two bed bungalows, aimed at older people, is an opportunity to showcase this pilot scheme to local authorities throughout Wales.

“Not only has Jocelyn Davies provided the best housing regime since devolution, delivering well over the 6,500 affordable homes promised in our 2007 manifesto, the Deputy Minister’s agreement this week has demonstrated that Plaid is on the side of local authorities as we try to combat the savage cuts pressed on us by the Conservatives and Lib Dems in Westminster”

 

Plaid’s Group Leader in the County Council, Cllr. Peter Hughes Griffiths said:

 

“Only last month the local authority was complaining that they had been waiting for the Welsh Government to agree on this proposal, but it was later confirmed the Deputy Minister was in fact waiting on the local authority.

“Despite the Labour-Independent run council trying to play politics with the 39 bungalow proposal, the Plaid Minister has delivered the goods.

“The local authority will benefit enormously from the Plaid Minister’s decision by not having to send rental income into the coffers of the UK Treasury”

ENDS

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