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LATEST: New PM reveals Simon Clarke as new Levelling Up secretary

37-year-old got the job for his loyalty to the Truss election campaign despite having worked previously under Rishi Sunak.

Nigel Lewis

simon clarke

The revolving door of housing ministers continues after Liz Truss last night appointed Simon Clarke as her secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and communities.

Clarke worked under Rishi Sunak at HM Treasury as the department’s chief secretary, but the 37-year-old has some housing credentials having worked at what used to be the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for seven months in 2020.

His voting record in parliament reveals he has not been involved directly in or spoken during debates for the most prominent housing bills and issues.

Clarke is the Middlesborough South and East Cleveland MP having been voted in during the 2017 General Election as an original ‘Red Wall’ candidate.

Loyalty

He is widely considered to have got the job for his loyalty rather than his knowledge of the property industry. Just a few days ago he backed the Truss campaign saying she would “help struggling families and turbocharge the economy”.

His appointment makes Clarke the sixth secretary of state since housing was added to the department’s title in 2018 and follows his predecessor, Greg Clark, having been in post for just nine weeks, and before that – Michael Gove.

The full cabinet is now being revealed following her meeting with the Queen at Balmoral yesterday.

INDUSTRY REACTION

nathan emerson tenant referencingNathan Emerson (pictured), Propertymark’s Chief Executive, says: “We congratulate Liz Truss on her successful election campaign and urge her to work with property professionals to find solutions to these major issues facing the sector.

“Our latest market insight reports show for every rental property available there are an average of 11 applicants, while home buyers outnumber sellers by seven to one.

“This is creating affordability issues, particularly in the private rented sector.

“We believe that gap can be closed through measures that bring the many tens of thousands of long-term empty properties back and the introduction of focussed targets for new homes that are based on an identified need for each tenure across the country.”

ben beadle NRLA

Ben Beadle, CEO, NRLA

Chief Executive Officer of the National Residential Landlords Association, Ben Beadle said, “The NRLA welcomes Simon Clarke’s appointment as Housing Secretary.

The new Minister will need urgently to address the rental housing supply crisis.”

“The new Minister will need urgently to 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.

“All this is doing is increasing rents, making it more difficult for those wanting to become homeowners.

“The Government needs to look afresh at 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.”

September 7, 2022

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