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Housing secretary pledges to fix building safety crisis ‘as soon as possible’
The new housing secretary has pledged to fix the building safety crisis “as soon as possible”.
In his virtual speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham this week, Simon Clarke said he wants to finish what his predecessors “started to fix”, to “protect leaseholders and ensure the industry fixes the problems it created”.
It comes after Inside Housing’s investigation showed that despite a package of reforms aimed at helping leaseholders, many are still not protected from huge bills.
Mr Clarke said: “I will push on with pragmatic, common-sense reform that protects leaseholders, facilitates an operable insurance industry, and ensures we never have to face a tragedy like Grenfell again.”
He added that he is “resolved to fix the cladding issue as soon as possible”.
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Elsewhere, he focused on levelling up, which he said matters “economically”, “politically” and “morally”.
He said he wants to “create many more mayors”, to accelerate the development of brownfield sites, and spoke of the new Investment Zones and devolution.
The government recently announced that it is planning to create low-tax zones with looser planning rules to “turbocharge” development and attract investment in certain areas.
It opened applications for local authorities to host a zone in early October.
The government has already been in discussion with 38 areas, including the West Midlands, Tees Valley, and Liverpool City Region.
Mr Clarke said in his speech: “We want to grow organic communities, not impose cardboard boxes across our shires.
“As with Investment Zones, local consent will sit at the heart of our plans.”
He said the zones represent a “truly exciting and meaningful offer to help accelerate homes, development and enterprise across the UK”.
Mr Clarke said in the coming weeks he will be “fleshing out” how he intends to get more homes on the market.
He said he intends to support councils, but will also “crack down on mismanagement”, such as in Thurrock, Nottingham, or Croydon.
Mr Clarke also said the government is committed to limiting homelessness and rough sleeping, and helping those facing cost of living pressures.
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