26th
Oct 2022
Baroness Alicia Kennedy’s Generation Rent has welcomed with open arms outstretched to the returning Housing Secretary Michael Gove.
Gove had previously promised five weeks ago to retire from front-line politics; however he is now the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Upon hearing the news that night the Baroness tweeted, “Congratulations Michael Gove - welcome back. Generation Rent looks forward to working with you again.”
Generation Rent’s corporate Twitter account has said that renters have been waiting over three and a half years for the promised private rental reforms. It has told its members and followers to kick start a concerted Twitter campaign to Sunak calling for the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill.
Not to be left behind Shelter, which unsurprisingly wants the Bill to be fast tracked, was even more welcoming to the new Housing Secretary tweeting: "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."
A trade association for agents was also in favour of Gove when its spokesperson said: “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.”
Gove replaces the virtually unknown Simon Clarke appointed by Liz Truss as the DLUHC Secretary.
Clarke tweeted: “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).”
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