Labour’s new housing secretary and minister have been named
Following Keir Starmer’s success on Friday the new Prime Minister has begun appointing his cabinet. In and among are the new housing officials.
On Friday 4th July Keir Starmer was elected as the new prime minister – the first time Labour have got into Parliament within the last 14 years. One of Starmer’s key policies is addressing the crippling housing crisis – he has started work on this pledge as he has now appointed his housing officials.
Angela Rayner has been named as the new Housing Secretary and Matthew Pennycook takes the title of Labour’s Housing Minister.
Pennycook, the MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, previously held a role in Starmer’s shadow government, has been appointed alongside Jim McMahon.
‘It is a real honour to have been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC),’ said Pennycook.
‘Tackling the housing crisis and boosting economic growth is integral to national renewal. Time to get to work.’
Arguably there is no-one better suited to the role as Pennycook has already been closely involved within housing policy – he recently submitted dozens of amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Propertymark, the leading body for property agents, has expressed their excitement following Pennycook’s appointment.
‘Housing must play a pivotal role for the government moving forwards and in real terms, delivering over 1,100 new homes every single working day for the next five years will take immense planning and enormous stakeholder engagement to achieve,’ said Nathan Emerson, the company’s CEO.
‘There needs to be a long-term cross-party approach with continuity built in as standard – we should never be looking at a housing plan as an insulator five-year government term, in case of any change down the line.’
‘The housing sector is crying out for a vastly increased supply to keep pace with demand, there simply can be no room for error moving forwards or we may end up with prices artificially rocketing due to consumer desperation in finding a suitable home for their needs,’ Emerson added. ‘There must be a broad mix of sustainably built homes that brings much need stock to both buyers and renters. The plan must be delivered with precision and in a way that is connected with wider government planning to ensure key infrastructure is provisioned for as the population further grows.’
In addition to Pennycook’s new role, Angela Rayner has also been named as the new Housing Secretary for the Department of Levelling Up. She will be responsible for delivering Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes and introduce changes to boost affordable housing.
Rayner, who will also serve as the Deputy Prime Minister, has placed a special emphasis on prioritising council housing as she grew up in a council home.
‘It was a council home that once gave me that security – security that broke down the barriers to opportunity,’ she told the Local Government Association.
The latest government statistics have laid bare the scale of the country’s housing crisis, showcasing Rayner and Pennycook really have their work cut out for them. The number of people being made homeless jumped by 16% in the final three months of 2023 – 45,000 households in England were assessed as homeless during this period which is up from just 39,000 during the same time in 2022.
Image: James Newcombe
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