Housing minister Mark Prisk has been stripped of his job in David Cameron's ministerial reshuffle. Prisk had been in his role little over a year, succeeding Grant Shapps.
The removal of Prisk had been widely predicted in the property press, where he was dubbed Mr Invisible.
Notably, he did not make the recent announcement that the second phase of Help to Buy was being brought forward three months.
According to the BBC, Prisk's replacement is Kris Hopkins who has been appointed communities minister, although his full brief has not been disclosed.
The reshuffle means that the coalition government will have had three housing ministers in three years – suggesting that it is copying the revolving doors policy of the previous Labour government, which got through a bewildering succession of housing ministers.
Not to be outdone, Labour has continued with keeping the revolving doors spinning by sacking shadow housing minister Jack Dromey. Dromey has been replaced by Emma Reynolds, who has been an MP for three years.
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Comments
One of the biggest issues over the last decade is the number of housing ministers - only Grant Shapps seemed to hang around for any length of time.
Mark Prisk was a refreshing change and welcomed by industry. Heaven knows why he has been removed.
Whilst I am happy to offer my services ;) I really think we need someone who understands the industry and who is given the opportunity to complete that which they set out to do.
Its a shame that one of the most pressing issues is lack of housing yet there is not consistency. I could do without Douglass Alexanders spluttering responses to important issues.
Im not so sure Mr P did understand the housing market. There are obvious things that he should have been doing to restructure parts of the market.
Additionally many of the Estate Agency Acts and regulation is out dated such as the definition of the wording for sole agency agreements, following the Foxtons case many, many moons ago. Such contracts affect millions of people each year, yet remain unchanged.
Maybe a change isnt such a bad thing.
What a pity that a housing minister with qualifications (FRICS) to actually do the job.
At least he understood the housing industry and listened to our concerns.
I wonder who we'll get next? It could be some naive idealist with no appreciation of market forces or the property market.
We'll have to wait and see but I can't imagine anyone being better equipped than Mark Prisk.
Lance Trendall
The Letting Office and The Land Office