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| The housing minister has no power. So how will he solve the homes crisis? | The housing minister has no power. So how will he solve the homes crisis? |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Dominic Raab has his hands tied. If the Tories are serious about tackling the crisis, a dedicated housing ministry is needed now | Dominic Raab has his hands tied. If the Tories are serious about tackling the crisis, a dedicated housing ministry is needed now |
| Jonathan Manns | |
| director of planning, Colliers International | director of planning, Colliers International |
| Tue 23 Jan 2018 11.56 GMT | Tue 23 Jan 2018 11.56 GMT |
| Last modified on Tue 23 Jan 2018 15.34 GMT | |
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| Barely two months after Theresa May announced her “personal mission” to solve England’s housing crisis, her cabinet reshuffle earlier this month was accompanied by an announcement that Sajid Javid’s department is to be renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This, we’re told, reflects a “renewed focus to deliver more homes.” | Barely two months after Theresa May announced her “personal mission” to solve England’s housing crisis, her cabinet reshuffle earlier this month was accompanied by an announcement that Sajid Javid’s department is to be renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This, we’re told, reflects a “renewed focus to deliver more homes.” |
| While name changes can be symbolic as statements of priority or intent, they are not in themselves achievements. Nor are they a new phenomenon. Having won the general election in 1951, by a slim majority of only 26 seats, the newly elected Conservative government renamed the Ministry of Local Government and Planning the Ministry of Housing and Local Government – but that change was not itself responsible for the postwar housing boom. | While name changes can be symbolic as statements of priority or intent, they are not in themselves achievements. Nor are they a new phenomenon. Having won the general election in 1951, by a slim majority of only 26 seats, the newly elected Conservative government renamed the Ministry of Local Government and Planning the Ministry of Housing and Local Government – but that change was not itself responsible for the postwar housing boom. |
| The January reshuffle also gave us a new minister for housing and planning, Dominic Raab, a Brexiteering MP for the low-growth, green belt constituency of Esher and Walton with firm views on immigration control. This is equally insubstantial. While yet to get his feet under the desk, he becomes the eleventh housing minister in the past decade and is entering an office for which the door revolves so quickly that even the most capable candidate would struggle to have a lasting impact. | The January reshuffle also gave us a new minister for housing and planning, Dominic Raab, a Brexiteering MP for the low-growth, green belt constituency of Esher and Walton with firm views on immigration control. This is equally insubstantial. While yet to get his feet under the desk, he becomes the eleventh housing minister in the past decade and is entering an office for which the door revolves so quickly that even the most capable candidate would struggle to have a lasting impact. |
| The new minister for housing and planning has no formal or legal powers of his own. | The new minister for housing and planning has no formal or legal powers of his own. |
| Raab certainly has a lot on his plate. In addition to “fixing our broken housing market” he must finalise the social housing green paper, announced last September, which aims to address the problems of social housing and the difficulties faced by social housing tenants. There are also the overdue National Planning Policy Framework reforms to think about – and he must oversee the Letwin review of land banking and the Grenfell Tower inquiry. His functions are structured as day-to-day work rather than high-level responsibility. | Raab certainly has a lot on his plate. In addition to “fixing our broken housing market” he must finalise the social housing green paper, announced last September, which aims to address the problems of social housing and the difficulties faced by social housing tenants. There are also the overdue National Planning Policy Framework reforms to think about – and he must oversee the Letwin review of land banking and the Grenfell Tower inquiry. His functions are structured as day-to-day work rather than high-level responsibility. |
| The new minister for housing and planning has no formal or legal powers of his own. Instead, any executive authority is delegated from the secretary of state, within whose gift is the full extent of any influence. It’s for this reason that the minister is directly responsible to the secretary of state, rather than to parliament. He can’t issue directions to permanent secretaries and nor does he attend cabinet, where the government’s most important cross-cutting and political strategy issues are discussed each week. | The new minister for housing and planning has no formal or legal powers of his own. Instead, any executive authority is delegated from the secretary of state, within whose gift is the full extent of any influence. It’s for this reason that the minister is directly responsible to the secretary of state, rather than to parliament. He can’t issue directions to permanent secretaries and nor does he attend cabinet, where the government’s most important cross-cutting and political strategy issues are discussed each week. |
| Whitehall mandarins may consider the government’s various department’s over-ministered, but the person responsible for tackling our housing crisis has no specific ministry of their own. They’re not one of the 21 invited to attend cabinet, but one of a whopping 97 who play a constrained supporting role from the wings. We’ve got cabinet ministers for other key policy areas and even, in Brandon Lewis, a minister without portfolio. Why, then, not one for housing? The government has secretaries of state for other epoch-defining issues. Given the tasks at hand, if housing is so important, why not also separate it out? | Whitehall mandarins may consider the government’s various department’s over-ministered, but the person responsible for tackling our housing crisis has no specific ministry of their own. They’re not one of the 21 invited to attend cabinet, but one of a whopping 97 who play a constrained supporting role from the wings. We’ve got cabinet ministers for other key policy areas and even, in Brandon Lewis, a minister without portfolio. Why, then, not one for housing? The government has secretaries of state for other epoch-defining issues. Given the tasks at hand, if housing is so important, why not also separate it out? |
| Perhaps the government feel there are reasons to hold back. Labour stole a march on the government in October 2016, by proposing a new Department for Housing and announcing John Healey as shadow secretary of state for housing , but that is no reason to hold back. Such a move would send a clear signal that the housing crisis was being taken seriously and no longer wrapped up within the wide-ranging purview of a minister who also has responsibility for business rates and local government finance. | Perhaps the government feel there are reasons to hold back. Labour stole a march on the government in October 2016, by proposing a new Department for Housing and announcing John Healey as shadow secretary of state for housing , but that is no reason to hold back. Such a move would send a clear signal that the housing crisis was being taken seriously and no longer wrapped up within the wide-ranging purview of a minister who also has responsibility for business rates and local government finance. |
| Having a secretary of state for housing would be a meaningful political role in both challenge and opportunity, reducing ministerial transience while attracting the most aspirant and able parliamentarians. If given appropriate power and funding, directing the newly launched Homes England, which brings a range of expertise as the successor body to the Homes and Communities Agency, would also present an opportunity to provide real leadership. Leadership that could provide a lifeline to the million or so households who risk becoming homeless as the effects of housing-related poverty become increasingly acute. | Having a secretary of state for housing would be a meaningful political role in both challenge and opportunity, reducing ministerial transience while attracting the most aspirant and able parliamentarians. If given appropriate power and funding, directing the newly launched Homes England, which brings a range of expertise as the successor body to the Homes and Communities Agency, would also present an opportunity to provide real leadership. Leadership that could provide a lifeline to the million or so households who risk becoming homeless as the effects of housing-related poverty become increasingly acute. |
| Jonathan Manns is director of planning at Colliers international | Jonathan Manns is director of planning at Colliers international |
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