Housing and planning policy needs leadership consistency

Theresa May has appointed Kit Malthouse, MP for North West Hampshire, as minister of state for housing and planning.

Malthouse is the fifth housing minister in three years and succeeds Dominic Raab, who served as housing minister for less than six months and has been appointed as secretary of state for exiting the EU.

The House Builders Association (HBA), the house building division of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), congratulates Mr Malthouse on his appointment and looks forward to working with him. However, as the fourth housing minister in twelve months takes office, the HBA is starting to wonder whether the Government appreciates how vital consistent leadership is in solving the housing crisis.

The NFB is disappointed to have lost Raab, a housing minister who talked openly about planning reform and the need to make the housing market more competitive by supporting smaller house builders.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said: “It is always frustrating to lose ministers who are not only approachable and passionate about their brief but vocal about solutions. The housing crisis can only be solved with a consistent approach.

“The industry remains consistent in its approach and its message and this should prove a helpful platform to solve the housing crisis. We only hope that the next minister for housing shows a similar openness to solving the housing crisis and redoubles efforts to reform planning and make the housing market more competitive.”

Shared by: National Federation of Builders

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

How will tenants be affected by the incoming Renters’ Rights Act?

On 28th October 2025, the Renters’ Rights Bill was passed into law, and it is now the Renters’ Rights Act. Changes to legislation resulting from this new Act will take effect from May 2026. This will affect landlords and how they let out their property, and it is worthwhile being aware of how it affects…
Read More
Seaside Properties UK
Overseas Property

Gibraltar property values rise faster than UK

Gibraltar house prices rise faster than UK and London, despite market activity dropping 46% The latest market analysis by Enness Global has revealed that Gibraltar’s property market has seen stronger annual house price growth than both the UK and London, even as the number of transactions completing across the market has fallen sharply, creating a…
Read More
Breaking News

Homes with fewer photos priced £80,000 lower

The latest research by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed a stark disparity in asking prices depending on how extensively a property is marketed, with homes listed using four photos or fewer priced almost £80,000 lower on average than those benefiting from five or more images. Benham and Reeves analysed current…
Read More
Breaking News

January market momentum builds

Analysis of the latest market data by eXp UK has revealed that the UK property market has picked up pace in January, with both new instruction volumes and the price of these new listings increasing when compared to the same period in previous years. eXp UK analysed the latest market data*, looking at both new…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 28/1/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Tenancy Deposit Scheme further enhances rental UX with continued tie up with tlyfe app TDS has announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with tlyfe, the fast-growing tenant lifecycle app powered by OpenBrix. Expanding coverage across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the new…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

More affordable locations grew most in price in 2025

New analysis of the 2025 market highlights that lower-priced locations grew the most in asking prices during 2025 as affordability continued to drive buyer behaviour Across the top 50 local areas where property asking prices grew the most last year, only seven are priced above the current national average of £368,031 Hawick in Roxburghshire in…
Read More