Fourth housing minister in under two years takes office

The property industry is wearily preparing to do business with yet another new housing minister – the fourth in less than the last two years, and the ninth in 12 years.

He is John Healey, who becomes Minister of State (Housing), Department for Communities and Local Government, succeeding Margaret Beckett.

Beckett held the post for just eight months and resigned last week apparently because she was not offered a promotion from the non-Cabinet housing role.

From within the industry, she had received criticism for her apparent lack of engagement with the housing sector.

HIP opponents also complained that while criticising Home Information Packs, she had refused to suspend them, instead choosing to implement the April 6 changes.

Beckett’s immediate predecessor as housing minister, Caroline Flint, also resigned last week, in protest at not being promoted from her job as European Minister.

Flint’s own predecessor as housing minister, Yvette Cooper, the housing minister who introduced HIPs, fared better. Despite her and her husband, Ed Balls, having been caught up in the MPs’ second homes row, she has been promoted. She is now Work and Pensions Secretary.

The new housing minister is MP for Wentworth in South Yorkshire, which he has represented since 1997.

As the new housing minister, his will be a non-Cabinet post, although he will be able to attend meetings. The status of housing minister also continues to annoy those in the industry, who cannot understand why it is not a full Cabinet role, given the importance of housing to the economy.

Healey faces any number of immediate challenges, including the lack of mortgage lending, historically low levels of transactions, the misfortunes of developers, and what to do about HIPs,  and has already been warned that he needs to get a move on.

The National Housing Federation’s chief executive, David Orr, said: “The country is facing an unprecedented housing crisis. The number of new homes being built this year is expected to slump to an 88-year low, while waiting lists for affordable homes have hit record levels.

“Clearly the new minister must get Britain building again.

“Mr Healey must also look at ways of getting the nationalised banks to lend to the thousands of people who are currently being refused mortgages for shared ownership properties – despite having good credit records.”

Healey was formerly local government minister, and is unclear whether he will still hold this remit.

Previous roles include a stint as financial secretary to the Treasury, and as under-secretary for adult skills at the Department for Education and Skills.

Before entering Parliament, he worked with charities for disabled people before becoming campaigns director for the TUC from 1994 to 1997. He has also been a part time tutor at the Open University's Business School.