Generation Rent, the activist group led by Baroness Alicia Kennedy, has given a warm welcome to the return of Michael Gove as Housing Secretary.
Gove – who pledged he was actually retiring from front-line politics little over a month ago – was last night named as the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
“Congratulations Michael Gove – welcome back. Generation Rent looks forward to working with you again” tweeted the Baroness overnight. Previously the campaign’s corporate Twitter account said that renters had been waiting three and a half years for reform, and it urged followers to tweet the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, urging the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill.
And Shelter, the campaigning charity which also wants progress on the Bill, was even more gushing about the new Housing Secretary. It tweeted: “After weeks of political uncertainty it’s reassuring to see someone appointed who has previously committed to taking the urgent steps necessary to fix the housing emergency. Welcome Michael Gove.”
The Bill had become becalmed in the House of Commons Parliamentary process in the hiatus since Boris Johnson’s resignation during the summer.
The letting agents’ trade body Propertymark also welcomed Gove’s return.
Its head of policy and campaigns, Timothy Douglas, says: “The Levelling Up agenda and reforms to the private rented sector in England would appear to be back and will take centre stage in the new government as Michael Gove returns to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
“Mr Gove previously focussed on regional disparities and fixing the cladding scandal, but he now needs to go further and tackle the supply crisis in the private rented sector, implement the next steps for leasehold reform, set out the UK Government’s plans for home buying and selling as well engage with the sector to get more people onto the housing ladder and stimulate right sizing to release large, family homes.”
Sunak’s Cabinet reshuffle – which included ministers from all sides of the Tory party – has not yet been extended down to junior ministers, who tend to be those with responsibility for specific legislation such as the Renters Reform Bill.
Gove replaces the little-known Simon Clarke, appointed as Levelling Up Secretary by former PM Liz Truss.
Clarke tweeted overnight: “It has been a great privilege to serve as Secretary of State, working alongside some terrific people to level up our communities, just as it was before that as chief secretary at the Treasury. It has only been while holding these positions that I’ve come to appreciate the full weight of responsibility that ministers bear, and we are deeply fortunate to be supported in this by our civil servants and special advisers (and never forget them on days like today).”
