Within two hours of Greg Clarke being appointed by Boris Johnson as the new Housing Secretary, the leader of Generation Rent began lobbying him.
Baroness Alicia Kennedy – a Labour peer until becoming director of Generation Rent two years ago – tweeted Clarke to say: “Everyone at Generation Rent and those on the Renters Reform Coalition look forward to working with you and your team on the Renters’ Reform Bill.”
In response to a social media statement by Clarke saying he took the job to provide “stability, good governance and accountability” the Baroness tweeted: “Stability we hope means continuity. No delay but moving ahead as planned with the legislation for these long overdue reforms.”
In its response to the Prime Minister’s resignation, Shelter tweeted support for the outgoing Housing Secretary Michael Gove, a long-time backer of Johnson: “The housing emergency isn’t going anywhere. Even while there is chaos in government, millions of voters don’t have a decent, secure place to live. With the recent introduction of a Renters’ Reform Bill, better social housing regulation and a push for more social housing under Michael Gove, government policy is finally going in the right direction.
“Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister, and the new housing minister, has to deliver on government promises to renters and keep up vital momentum to end the housing crisis for good.”
Meanwhile Propertymark – the agents’ trade body – made clear its disappointment at the lack of continuity after the resignation of housing minister Stuart Andrew and the sacking of Gove.
A tweet from the body’s chief executive, Nathan Emerson, said: “After Mr Andrew’s departure we were hoping to see some stability maintained with regard to housing policy. However it is clear that the changes in government are far from over.
“The question will now be over more delays to key pieces of policy, the industry has been in limbo for some time with regards to Renters’ Reform and the Regulation of Property Agents, meaning that to gain any real progress, consistency – almost above all else – was what we needed.”
