The CIH sais the appointment of both Hazel Blears as the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Yvette Cooper as Housing Minister was encouraging. The CIH hopes this commitment is reflected in the next Comprehensive Spending Review scheduled for this autumn by making housing one of the Government’s main three priorities alongside health and education.
The CIH believes Ms. Cooper’s appointment will provide much needed continuity following three major re-shuffles in the past three years. It intends to watch with interest how many cabinet meetings she attends in her floating cabinet role as an indicator of the level of debate and priority Government is continuing to give to housing.
The CIH also hopes that Ms. Hazel Blears experiences of health and community safety in previous ministerial roles will continue to strengthen the importance of good housing in improving health and reducing crime in communities.
David Butler, CIH chief executive, said: “The CIH is looking forward to building upon the work of John Prescott, David Miliband and Ruth Kelly and developing a strong partnership with the Government’s new ministerial team looking at housing and regeneration issues. A good settlement for housing in the next Comprehensive Spending Review is vital if we are to make any difference to the current housing problems and it is important we all work together to achieve this goal.”
