The housing role has been returned to Cabinet status in the government’s reshuffle.
The wide-ranging overhaul of prime minister Theresa May’s top team included giving Sajid Javid the new role of Secretary Of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
His Whitehall department has also been renamed but the change means the housing role has now had 16 ministers in 20 years.
Housing moved to the top of the domestic policy agenda following the Grenfell Tower disaster last year in which 71 people died. The public inquiry is already demanding significant time from Javid with high demand likely for early findings.
Also on the policy agenda is the planning White Paper, changes to the National Planning Policy Framework - which is already a target for MPs in marginal rural constituencies – and a Green Paper on social housing.
The move was part of a radical overhaul of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which also saw Marcus Jones removed as local government minister to take an advisory role at Conservative Central Office.
At time of publishing, former housing minister Alok Sharma had not been appointed to a new role.
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