Michael Gove has made a return to the position of housing secretary as the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, reshuffles his cabinet.
Gove has been reappointed as secretary of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a position he was previously sacked from in July during the latter days of Boris Johnson’s premiership. He replaces Simon Clarke, who was brought into the position by Liz Truss in early September.
He is one of 10 new appointments made yesterday (25/10), which also saw Grant Shapps take the role of business secretary following Jacob Rees-Mogg’s resignation and Therese Coffey as environment secretary. Jeremy Hunt has remained in his position as chancellor.
Here’s how the industry has been reacting to Michael Gove’s appointment:
Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “Michael Gove will be able to hit the ground running and we look forward to working with him again. The property industry is a critical partner in levelling up and by unlocking investment we can deliver the changes we need to see in our communities up and down the country. This summer we lost vital time on delivering on the government’s agenda and urgently need a consistent and steady hand on the key issues of the day – housing supply, regeneration and net zero – which are all critical to the UK’s growth ambitions and international competitiveness.”
Phil Cox, Director of MPA Masonry, said: “In addition to calming the markets, I hope Mr Sunak’s appointment ushers in a period of political consistency. We have a longstanding housing crisis, only forecast to worsen whilst supply chain disruption continues and materials and fuel prices remain on the rise. We need a clear, concise and above all, deliverable housebuilding policy which will support both the private and public sectors.”
“Relaxing planning laws does not nearly go far enough towards re-stimulating the market, and relevant departments need to engage more closely with developers, local authorities and professional bodies in order to work out a long-term strategy.”
“Crucial to this will be maintaining a housing minister long enough in the post to effect real change. There has been a recent, worrying amount of turnover in DLUHC and what’s needed now is a steady, secure hand at the tiller to guide the sector through current, choppy waters.”
Simon Cox – Managing Director at Walter Cooper, commented: “These delays and changes to government have cost the country and economy billions. I hope Michael Gove can bring an element of consistency to the role we’ve not seen in the past few months, and that he’s willing to engage with the housebuilding community to tackle the real issues at the heart of the housing crisis. It’s time to get on with the job, bring back a housing target and focus on the reality of the chronic housing shortage we face.”
Chris Heath, managing director of Cube Homes, said: “I hope that Michael Gove can really commit to this frequently abandoned role and take his responsibility for housing seriously. With the economy in need of stability, Mr Gove needs to be particularly supportive of the housebuilding industry and understand the importance of an annual 300,000 target for new homes in England.”
“Without these targets in place it becomes harder to persuade local authorities to prioritise putting the resources into planning to push forward much needed new developments. If you aren’t able to build new homes, then affordable homes don’t get built either and all the money developers put into local councils through Section 106 contributions stops too. Councils rely on this money to build new schools, to fund public transport, to build new open spaces – if you don’t build new homes none of these other things happen either.”
