Here's the latest Argus column by Torfaen County Borough Council leader Cllr Anthony Hunt:

I WAS pleased to open the recent Torfaen Housing Summit.

As a council, we no longer own our own housing stock.

But we still have a vital role to play, from helping support those facing housing difficulties to working with others to supply more genuinely affordable housing.

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Demand for affordable, socially rented housing now is higher than ever, as people are priced out of the housing market or forced to pay over the odds for private rented accommodation.

The challenge for us all is what we can do to tackle this gap in provision.

Housing is so much more than bricks and mortar – it is central to the job of public services, of keeping people safe and well.

How can a baby in its first years develop and thrive or how is a child in school supposed to learn, without somewhere safe to sleep soundly at night?

How can a young person build a career and make a positive contribution to society without somewhere they can afford to live?

How can the person struggling with physical or mental health issues get better without a healthy home?

How can someone face the challenges of old age without a home and a community that enables them to stay independent and not become isolated?

How can someone determined to live in a more environmentally sustainable way do so without a home that is efficient to run?

None of these challenges can be faced without housing that is available, affordable and sustainable.

Councils across the country have too many people waiting too long on lists for social housing.

Rough sleeping is on the increase everywhere – but that is just the tip of the iceberg of housing insecurity.

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We’re working to support people alongside excellent charities and support agencies like Cornerstone, and helping deliver more affordable social housing. But we need to do far more.

As with everything in public services, austerity has had a crippling impact on our ability to function.

But it’s not just about money – it’s also about working together with other organisations, being imaginative to develop solutions, not just relying on the way things have always been done.

That’s why events like the Housing Summit are vital, as they bring people from the worlds of health, local government and housing providers together.

That way, we can better respond to opportunities to shape and improve policy on housing, like the Welsh Government’s recent Affordable Housing Review.

If you live in Torfaen and need housing advice – maybe you’re having no luck finding somewhere affordable or are struggling to stay in your own home – help and advice is available.

You can contact the council or your local councillor, or call in to one of the regular drop-in sessions held in:

  • Blaenavon Heritage Centre (Tuesdays, 10am-12.30pm)
  • Pontypool Job Centre (Tuesdays 1.30pm-4.30pm)
  • Torfaen Voluntary Alliance (Wednesdays 9am-4pm)
  • The Civic Centre (Fridays 9am-4pm)
  • Cwmbran Job Centre (Mondays and Thursdays 9am-4pm)