Marcus Jones, MP for Nuneaton, has become the 12th Housing Minister in as many years – a perplexing statistic that reflects the highest turnover experienced by any government department over that period. And yet this revolving door has been spinning since 1997, with 20 MPs trying their luck in the post.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sector has been guarded in its welcome to the newly appointed minister as the incompatibility between political cycles and the housing policy objectives becomes increasingly apparent.
With the Tory leadership race gathering momentum, it remains to be seen whether the ministerial musical chairs will continue, as a Cabinet reshuffle looks almost certain, following the appointment of the UK’s next Prime Minister in September.
The cry for stability
Against this foolish churn, it is difficult to see how progress can be achieved. Indeed, throughout the modern Conservative era, just one Housing Minister, Mr Shapps, succeeded in just about passing the two-year mark in his role. This troubling milestone underlines the danger of this transiency.
Without stability, no progress can be made and whilst the ministerial merry-go-round has made a mockery of housing policy, the brief is becoming increasingly critical. We cannot afford for it to keep changing hands.
Last year, data from the National Housing Federation showed that 8.5 million people in England have some form of unmet housing need, with overcrowding affecting nearly 3.7 million people. Their data estimates reveal that two million children in England (1 in every 5) live in overcrowded, unaffordable, or unsuitable homes.
In order for government policy to have a positive impact, there needs to be planning, consistency and certainty. Now is the time for a meaningful long-term housing strategy that is given the proper commitment and backing (both human and financial) to enable its planning and execution. With MP’s barely having time to introduce themselves to the sector before leaving the role, something needs to change.
An urgent brief
Marcus Jones has his work cut out for him. Against the government’s ambitious targets of delivering 300,000 per year homes per year, the latest reports from Homes England have missed all five of its housing delivery targets in 2021/22. With labour and material shortages presenting added challenges, the government agency has undershot targets by as much as 37%.
Meanwhile, business groups and councils have warned that to meet the government’s pledge, the 20 largest cities would need to increase their existing home-building targets by 35%. With rampant
inflation, soaring house prices and the rising cost of living further exacerbating the housing crisis, time is quite literally of the essence.
Here are some of the most pressing issues Marcus Jones must address:
· Will the current government stick to its target of delivering 300,000 new homes a year? If so, how will it achieve its target?
· Will the planning system finally be overhauled to ensure more housing projects can get off the ground?
· What support will be provided to housebuilders, particularly SMEs, to enable and encourage the development of more homes?
· How will the Government follow through with its ambitions to build more beautiful new homes, thereby improving their desirability among would-be buyers?
· What will be done to increase fire safety in new builds?
· What investments into digital and physical infrastructure will be made alongside housebuilding activity to ensure new homes are viable places to live, particularly with remote working on the rise and digital connectivity more important than ever?
· How will investors – both domestic and international – be engaged to support residential property development in the UK?
The housing industry is at a crossroads, and clarity around these critical issues must be provided if any progress is to be made in tackling the UK’s housing crisis.
As such, the complexity of the role cannot be stressed enough, and Marcus Jones must seize the opportunity to alter this absurd trajectory and restore some confidence in the government’s ability and commitment to fix the UK’s broken housing market.
