Industry Response to the Resignation of Angela Rayner
Lawrence Turner, Director of Boyer said:
“Angela Rayner’s planning reforms rightly acknowledged the scale of the Housing Crisis and the urgent need for bold, decisive action. Her resignation must not become an excuse for delay. The new Secretary of State now bears the responsibility to continue to unlock delivery and work to win the support of local authorities to provide the homes and infrastructure communities desperately need.
For plan-making, continuity here is critical. Local authorities must receive clear assurance from Government that the 30-month local plan timetable remains in place and better guidance on when and how to prepare their new Plans. Without this, plan-making risks stalling at the precise moment when momentum is most needed.
Secondly, the new SoS must act swiftly to remove two major barriers to housing delivery: nutrient neutrality and water scarcity. While the Nature Restoration Fund announcements were a welcome start, they must be accelerated to provide certainty for developers and local authorities and to have any real impact.
Thirdly, Planning departments need proper resourcing. Councils should be allowed to retain 100% of planning fees, enabling investment in staffing and the recruitment of new planners to speed up decision-making. In addition, greater urgency is needed behind the delivery of new towns and major growth areas. These strategic projects offer the scale of housing and infrastructure that piecemeal development cannot achieve, but they require more work to increase momentum through direct government support, infrastructure investment, and clear direction to unlock land quickly.
The new Secretary of State will be judged not by words, but by outcomes. If they can build consensus across local authorities and drive real progress on housing delivery, there remains a genuine opportunity to “turbo-charge” house building within this Parliament”
William Nichols, Regional Director of Lanpro said:
Angela Rayner’s resignation, after last night’s revelations, became inevitable. It is also regrettable: she had been at the forefront of some bold housing and planning policies.
The immediate question for the industry is who now carries the baton at MHCLG. Matthew Pennycook would be a logical choice – he has shown a strong grasp of the issues and would offer continuity. But continuity is not always what’s needed. This moment could be an opportunity to rethink aspects of policy that have been less successful, particularly the emphasis on local government reorganisation.
Local government reorganisation may be necessary, but it has distracted attention from housing delivery. In many councils, members and officers facing upheaval have been reluctant to press ahead with local plans when the future geography of their areas is so uncertain A pause here might free ministers to concentrate on what really matters: the growth agenda or local government reorganisation.
And growth cannot be achieved without better integration of housing and infrastructure. We saw the risks only weeks ago when funding was withdrawn for relocating Cambridge’s sewage works – a move that has already had consequences for the preparation of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which has been delayed.
Angela Rayner’s resignation also offers the opportunity to bring fresh thinking to the housing market, with a particular need for a government incentive scheme for new buyers, to boost demand and to introduce badly needed growth in the economy.
The second question is more political: should Keir Starmer retain the post of Deputy Prime Minister? The Starmer–Rayner partnership offered balance, but history suggests the role can be as divisive as it is useful.
There is a danger or extensive political uncertainty over the coming months, with the potentially torturous election process for a new Deputy Leader, which will bring pressure to bear on government policy from both the left and right, and could potentially damage economic confidence.
What is certain is that we are still at the beginning of the growth agenda. Much remains to be done, and the next appointment at MHCLG will be critical in deciding whether the early momentum is sustained or lost.
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