Property industry reacts to move
Simon Clarke, a member of parliament, has been appointed as the new secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC), following a cabinet reshuffle by new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Clarke’s responsibilities as housing secretary include strategic oversight of the department’s business, with cross-cutting responsibility for Levelling Up.
Commenting on his appointment, Clarke, in a Twitter post, stated that it was a huge honour for him to be appointed as the new secretary of LUHC.
“Delivering on Levelling Up for communities in all parts of our country, unlocking the homes we need and supporting the economic growth that is so central to Liz Truss’ government is our mission – will give it my all,” he added. “This is a department that I know really well, and which I am so looking forward to returning to – the commitment and expertise of officials there on themes as diverse as homelessness, building safety and devolution is second to none.”
The confirmation of his appointment also drew comments from the property industry.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said they welcome Clarke’s appointment as housing secretary, but added that the new minister will need to urgently address the rental housing supply crisis.
“Damaging tax hikes and uncertainty over reforms to the private rented sector are leading many landlords to leave the market when demand for rented homes remains high,” he pointed out. “All this is doing is increasing rents, making it more difficult for those wanting to become homeowners.”
Beadle reiterated the NRLA’s call for the government to review the rental reform white paper to ensure the plans in it have the confidence of responsible landlords.
“This needs to include action to tackle anti-social tenants, scrapping plans that would damage the student housing market, and reforming the courts to ensure legitimate possession cases are dealt with more swiftly,” he stated.
Read more: Government’s rental reforms could become ‘charter for anti-social behaviour’.
Nick Sanderson, chief executive at Audley Group, also urged the new housing secretary “to look beyond empty promises to build more houses.”
“First on that list should be better alignment of housing and health, to look at holistic solutions which have far reaching implications,” he said. “Building more specialist housing would free up existing family homes, take pressure off the NHS and social care systems, and importantly give older people suitable and aspirational housing that adapts to their changing needs.”
Sanderson stressed that more housing has never been the problem, and that the government’s focus has to shift to specialist housing.
“It’s never going to be greener to build more, when the solution is to build smart,” he said.
Kate Davies, executive director of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, remarked that there have been “so many promises from successive governments on how they will improve housing supply, and so much underdelivery, that Mr. Clarke will have his work cut out for him in days to come.”
“It’s positive to see his promotion from minister to secretary of state for the role, hopefully suggesting that housing will be a stronger focus for the new Truss government,” Davies said. “We urgently need more housing stock to help younger generations in the UK become first-time buyers and start building up equity for a stable financial future, not to mention having a home they can truly call theirs.
“We also need much more public sector housing – and greater recognition of the essential role of the private rented sector in filling many of the gaps currently left by the dearth of public sector stock. To do this, we need a coherent long-term strategy that can last longer than the span of a single Government. We look forward to seeing the measures which Mr. Clarke proposes.”
Clarke was previously appointed as chief secretary to the Treasury, and also served as minister at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
