Industry leaders call for political stability on housing

Senior housing industry figures have called for a period of stability following the appointment of Christopher Pincher yesterday as the sixth housing minister in the past four years.

Pincher (pictured) replaces Esther McVey, who was sacked by Boris Johnson after just seven months in the job. However, housing secretary Robert Jenrick, appointed by Johnson when he became prime minister last summer, retained his job.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said that Johnson’s election mandate gave him “a big opportunity to ensure stability in key roles including housing, something which has been missing in recent years and has got in the way of delivery”.

Clive Docwra, managing director of construction consultancy McBains, noted that Pincher was the tenth housing minister since 2010. “Constant chopping and changing does the construction industry little good as it creates uncertainty on the direction of housing policy,” he said.

“Ministerial changes inevitably mean changes in priority, if not policy, so we hope that Mr Pincher will be given a good run in the post so that he can develop a constructive relationship with the sector.”

Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director of surveying firm Ringley, also wanted Johnson to keep Pincher in post for the long-term. “Without stability at the top, the government risks sleepwalking into multiple crises,” she said.

“Issues around fire safety and leasehold reform remain unresolved, while the continued squeeze on buy-to-let landlords threatens to make renting even more unaffordable for many.”

These comments follow similar political reaction yesterday, when London mayor Sadiq Khan expressed his frustration with the decision to sack McVey so soon after appointing her. Speaking to Housing Today’s sister publication, Building, he said: “I’m annoyed and frustrated.

”[McVey’s departure] demonstrates the lack of seriousness that the government has given to the housing crisis not just in London but across the country.

“How is it possible for somebody who’s in a job only for a few months to get to grips with the challenges, to have ideas and to carry them through?”

Pincher was elected as the member of parliament for Tamworth in 2010. He has held a variety of junior ministerial posts, including deputy chip whip, during Johnson and Theresa May’s premierships.

Reaction to his appointment also included calls for him to increase housing supply. Hew Edgar, head of UK engagement & city strategy at RICS, said he should “move quickly to increase the supply of new homes across a wider range of tenures”.

Edgar said that increasing supply “needs bold action, which includes reviewing stamp duty, using placemaking to redefine how we deliver housing, overhauling VAT for retrofitting existing buildings and agreeing a new EU trade deal which works for the sector.”