Stuart Andrew has been appointed housing minister, replacing Christopher Pincher in the Prime Minister’s mini reshuffle.
He becomes the 11th housing minister in 12 years since the 2010 election.
Mr Andrew, who has been MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough in West Yorkshire since 2010, was previously deputy chief whip, holding the post for two years, having been promoted within the Whips Office. He has also been defence minister and a minister in the Wales Office.
Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, External Affairs and Research at CIOB, said: “CIOB looks forward to working with the new Minister in making progress on a number of the big issues facing our industry. The construction industry is at the forefront of delivering the visions of the levelling-up agenda and making them a reality.
“The industry saw a promising start to the year from Government with the publishing of the levelling-up strategy, as well as further progress being made on the Building Safety Bill through its current Parliamentary scrutiny, and we look forward to working with Government to address the housing crisis, both in terms of affordability and quality as well as a continued focus on building safety, planning improvements and decarbonising the UK’s homes.”
RIBA President, Simon Allford, said he hoped the new minister can quickly get to grips with the very immediate and multifaceted housing crisis facing people up and down the country.
“But this is an extraordinary situation – he's the 11th Housing Minister in as many years,” he continued.
“With the Government highlighting the importance of improved housing in its levelling-up agenda, it must now work to secure consistent and effective leadership in this area.
“I hope to meet with the new Minister soon, to discuss how we can share expertise and successfully progress the regeneration of our towns and cities. With the right skills and adequate funding, we can deliver the wealth of warm, safe and healthy homes that this Government has promised.”
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said the appointment comes at a crucial time for the industry.
“He has a mandate to deliver 300,000 homes but inherits a declining sector of SME builders to support this,” he explained. “I look forward to working constructively with the new Minister to deliver a much-needed boost for small, local housebuilders. This will not only help plug the gap in housing stock, but will also play a vital role in levelling up the country, as who better to enable this than small, community-centric builders.”
Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders, congratulated Mr Andrew on his new role and hoped he would speak to NFB members as soon as possible to understand the challenges they face.
“He has a tough job on his hands, as we desperately need an engaged housing minister who understands the planning systems impact on levelling up, SME builders and the broader housing crisis,” he continued.
Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning of the House Building Association (HBA), said:“We hope Mr Andrews rural experiences give him the edge in understanding what life for SMEs is like and why they are integral to the growth of regions and levelling up in practice.
“It is also helpful that he has seen the impact of local politics on the planning process and how procurement works when there are delivery constraints; in our and Homes England’s case, the planning process.
“We look forward to meeting with him and giving a flavour of what our industry is going through, as well as discuss the practicable solutions to fix the housing and planning crisis so we can diversify supply, build more homes and deliver sustainable outcomes.”
