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Your thoughts on the appointment of the new Housing Minister

ended 08. February 2023

The appointment today of Rachel Maclean as Housing Minister means that she will be the 15th since 2010 and the sixth in the last 12 months. Maclean will be the key person tasked with finding solutions to the UK’s ongoing housing crisis.

You can read more about it >>here<<

The media would be interested to get the views of property experts on the following:

  • How confident property professionals are with the current administration's abilities to solve the UK housing crisis?
  • Can a housing crisis be solved when the average tenure of the housing minister in the past 12 months has been two months?
  • What policies do you think would be key in alleviating the housing crisis?

Jot your views below and we’ll wing them off to the media.

10 responses from the Newspage community

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Riz Malik
Independent Financial Adviser at R3 Wealth
Somebody call Guinness as the government is trying to set a new world record. It would be amusing if this were not such an important ministerial position. The UK's housing crisis is worsening, as is the level of inequality, and Rishi is following in the footsteps of his predecessors. We need a comprehensive housing plan, and we need someone with the necessary skills to see it through. It is not rocket science.
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Rohit Kohli
Director at The Mortgage Stop
We've seen more Housing Ministers come and go than a revolving door in a hotel. It's high time for some stability in a sector that affects the lives of so many.

While a change in leadership can bring fresh ideas and a renewed energy to tackle the ongoing housing crisis in the UK, it's important to remember that a comprehensive and long-term plan is needed to effectively address the root causes of the crisis - and this government frankly hasn't got one.

This problem can not be solved overnight or even in one parliamentary term - we need a plan that can be sustained over a decade with priortisation given to investment in affordable housing with supported infrastructure to create real communities, support for first-time buyers to help them get onto the property ladder, and a focus on addressing homelessness.
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Joe Stallard
Director and Advisor at House and Holiday Home Mortgages
Six housing ministers in 12 months, unfortunately, tells us all we need to know about this government's views towards the importance of housing policy. Is it even worth learning about who's in charge any more?

Their finger is so far off the pulse as to what's required and this constant churn at the top of the tree cannot help.

The UK housing crisis isn't going to be solved with short-term faddy ideas. It needs well thought-out, advised policy that can be implemented consistently over a long period of time. Good luck Ms Maclean...
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Luke Thompson
Director at PAB Wealth Management
At this point it doesn't really matter who the housing minister is. Until such a time as we really start building properties at speed and of a sufficient standard there will continue to be a housing crisis. As long as we continue to allow the nimbyism that is happening all over the country we will never be able to build as many properties as we need.

Coupled with this the whole house-buying process needs a full overhaul from a legal perspective. The fact you can get six months into the process and it is possible to pull out of the chain is laughable and creates massive issues within the whole housing sector.
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Ricky Dosanjh
Director at Reeds Financial
I’ve just bought a ticket to the next Housing Minster draw. Hopefully I win the next one. But in all seriousness how can we help resolve the housing crisis issues if Housing Ministers are not even being given the opportunity to bed themselves in the role - Mclean is our sixth person to hold the post in the last twelve months. I see the crisis worsening.
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Amit Patel
Adviser at Trinity Finance
Another complete shambles and a huge cost to the taxpayer. None of the predecessors have managed to come up with a credible solution to the housing crisis and nor will Rachel Maclean.

Housing is simply not a priority for this Government.

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Graham Cox
Director at Bridging Hub
The solutions to solving the UK's housing crisis are plain to see. But after 13 years in power and numerous housing ministers in the last 12 months alone, I'm not holding my breath.

We need to build houses in far greater numbers, and put an end to Right to Buy because it disincentives the building of social housing. Free up planning laws to stop nimbyism, and above all, put fiscal and monetary measures in place to prevent rampant house growth. A good place to start would be by re-including house prices in the 2 per cent inflation target so wages can eventually catch up.
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Zaid Patel
Director at Highcastle Estates
A fair housing policy for both tenants and landlords needs to be introduced. Too many landlords are leaving the market, because of the poor policies put into place, rent arrears which are out of control, and evictions which take 6 months plus. Landlords feel tenants can get away without paying rent with hardly any repercussions. This is causing rents to spiral out of control. If the government can get to grips with this industry, not only will we see a fair market, but also a market in which will see good landlords thrive, creating generational wealth, and also one where good tenants can one day see themselves as homeowners, rather than it being the impossible dream it is today and paying the extortionate rents they pay.
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Gary Bush
Financial Adviser at MortgageShop.com
Not another Housing Minister, is the only response I have to this news!

It's time for the Chancellor, Defence, and Housing to be nailed down during periods of office for a given flavour of political party - how can we expect any "real" traction from these areas when the deckchairs keep being re-arranged in this way?
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Joe Garner
Founder & Managing Director at Joe Garner Consulting
Confidence in the current administrations ability to solve the UK housing crisis is low. There isn’t any leadership, strategy or obvious plan. At some point the merry go round has to stop and a long-term appointment made.

At an average tenure of 2 months for a current Housing Minister the seat is in danger of being renamed the trampoline as each passing minister bounces on and off to further their political career.

Housing should be the bedrock of all political policy until the crisis is alleviated, we need shorter routes through planning, less obstruction from residents’ associations and greater flexibility of planning policy for 100% affordable development schemes.