It is not hard to imagine what Oscar Wilde’s fearsome creation Lady Bracknell would have made of the plight of Homes England over the past week, as the housing agency saw both its chair and chief executive stand down. To lose one parent can be regarded as unfortunate, the fictional matriarch famously opined, but to lose two “looks like carelessness”.

Given that the announcement leaves the agency without long-term leadership just as the government is embarking on its drive to build 1.5m homes, one could certainly see losing both chair Peter Freeman and chief executive Peter Denton as somewhat careless. However, many in the sector feel the departures are designed to send a strong message that the government wants to see radical change in the agency itself.

The question is, what would prompt the government to take such a potentially destabilising measure? And, further, will it be able to secure replacement appointments quickly enough to drive through the changes it wants while maintaining momentum?

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