On 6th September, following the announcement Liz Truss was to become our new PM, she embarked on the appointment of the team that she felt would help take the country forward. One much trailed appointment was that of Simon Clarke MP, to become the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (taking over from Greg Clark who was in post this time around for all of two months).
An Oxbridge graduate, Mr Clarke won the seat of Middlesbrough South and Cleveland from Labour in 2017. Most recently he served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury under the Johnson administration, but notably supported Truss in the leadership contest, rather than his then boss Rishi Sunak.
During his time as Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government, Clarke was bold in his support for the 2020 Planning reforms and as such his appointment will be seen by many within the development industry as a positive step.
He has previously expressed a favourable stance towards additional land supply, to tackle affordability. In 2021 he tweeted “Sensible planning reform, allowing communities to protect areas they cherish while designating others for good quality development, with strict design codes, can break the deadlock and ensure we don’t continue to privilege the interest of those who have homes over those who don’t”.
Overall, appointing Clarke to the role presents an opportunity for the development industry. Policy announcements may well be on hold for now, but early signs suggest significant weight will be placed on the battle to get more homes built and fuel good growth in the economy. Time will tell how effective any changes will be, given a general election in 2024 is, in parliamentary terms, only around the corner, and tackling issues of green belt release and planning reform are often a challenging policy arena for Tory heartlands.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help you navigate the politics of planning both nationally and locally, please get in touch with our Head of Stakeholder Engagement & Pre-Planning, Tom Byrne.
