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Former Housing & Finance Institute boss gets junior MHCLG role
An MP who formerly led the Housing & Finance Institute (HFI) has been handed a junior role at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Natalie Elphicke, who was elected as Conservative MP for Dover and Deal in December, has joined the department as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS).
PPSs are junior government posts often offered to MPs considered to have ministerial potential.
A housing finance policy expert and former City lawyer, Ms Elphicke co-authored the Elphicke-House Report on how councils can contribute to housing supply in 2015.
She was subsequently appointed chief executive of the HFI policy unit, set up with government support to explore means of boosting housing delivery. She stepped down as chief executive when she was elected to become a non-paid, non-executive director and will stay on in this capacity.
Later in 2015, she was awarded an OBE for services to housing in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
A real honour to have been appointed as a PPS to the Ministers of Housing, Communities and Local Government @mhclg. Looking forward to my first day supporting Ministers in the House of Commons for Housing questions.
— Natalie Elphicke MP (@NatalieElphicke)A real honour to have been appointed as a PPS to the Ministers of Housing, Communities and Local Government @mhclg. Looking forward to my first day supporting Ministers in the House of Commons for Housing questions.
— Natalie Elphicke MP (@NatalieElphicke) February 24, 2020
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A former Inside Housing columnist, Ms Elphicke has previously called for the government to give more help to councils without housing stock that want to build.
Since October, her work at the HFI has focused on developing a New Homes Ombudsman – with ministers yesterday confirming plans to launch the body.
Ms Elphicke told Inside Housing: “Given my passion for housing and local government, I am delighted to be appointed to this role to support MHCLG ministers with their exciting programme.”
Via Twitter, she said: “A real honour to have been appointed as a PPS to the [MHCLG].
“Looking forward to my first day supporting ministers in the House of Commons for housing questions.”
The role involves acting as a link between senior ministers and backbenchers to float potential policy ideas.
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