Propertymark has welcomed a pledge by the new Housing Secretary to boost housing supply.

After he was appointed last week, Simon Clarke reiterated the belief of new Prime Minister Liz Truss that ‘top down’ housing targets were no longer useful, but he did pledge to free town planning and encourage more house building – without giving specifics. 

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns for Propertymark, comments: “The doors of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have been revolving at some pace in recent years. 

“The sector now needs the stability of long-term appointments throughout its ministerial team.

“High on Simon Clarke’s to-do list must be policies that help to close the gap between supply and demand in the sales and rental markets, so it’s encouraging to see his early commitment to unlocking the homes that are desperately needed across all tenures to meet the demands of a population that is growing and living longer.

“On levelling up, there are challenges and opportunities for our sector. For example, our commercial member agents are concerned about the practicalities of enforced ‘auctions’ of empty high street properties. 

“It is essential Mr Clarke’s team works with property professionals to understand the market to ensure their policies are workable.”