MHCLG rebranded as Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will become the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as the government emphasises its focus on levelling up every part of the UK.

The change comes as former Bank of England chief economist, Andy Haldane, was appointed as the new head of the Levelling Up Taskforce, which has been jointly established by the Prime Minister and secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove MP.

The secretary of state will drive cross-Whitehall efforts to deliver the government’s Levelling Up strategy, as well as having responsibility for governance and elections and leading coordination with the devolved administrations on the Prime Minister’s behalf.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, said: ‘This government is committed to uniting and levelling up every part of the UK and I am determined that as we build back better from the pandemic we are geared up with the teams and expertise to deliver on that promise.

‘Andy is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts to raise living standards, spread opportunity, improve our public services and restore people’s sense of pride in their communities. I look forward to working with him, and with my new ministerial team, to deliver the opportunities this country needs.’

The secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove MP, added: ‘I’m thrilled that the PM has asked me to lead the Levelling Up agenda, the defining mission of this government. With a superb team of ministers and officials in a new department, our relentless focus will be on delivering for those overlooked families and undervalued communities across the United Kingdom. We have a unique opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives.’

In related news, a record £650bn infrastructure investment will support hundreds of thousands of jobs a year, according to a new Infrastructure Pipeline and the government’s latest Plan for Jobs Progress Update.

Photo by Marcin Nowak