Getting housing out of a pickle
For a time on Wednesday afternoon it seemed reasonable to consider Caroline Spelman, hitherto shadow minister for communities and local government, to be a shoo-in for the role proper in prime minister David Cameron’s new cabinet.
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After all, someone needed to bolster its female quota, then comprised solely of new home secretary Theresa May.
Those gunning for Ms Spelman on account of her gender were to be disappointed. However, those hoping to see her appointed to provide continuity were to be less so. When the announcement finally came, it was Eric Pickles who got the gig.
Before he was appointed to his last job as Conservative Party chair in 2009, Mr Pickles spent 18 months as shadow minister for the department he now leads for real.
It would be all too easy to dismiss Mr Pickles as a Thatcherite intent simply on reining in public spending. This would be a mistake. In an era when even the health service no longer enjoys funding guarantees, realism must replace idealism.
Mr Pickles’ appointment is a good one for housing. Not only is the plain-speaking Yorkshireman familiar with the brief, his CV also lists stints as shadow minister for local government and leader of Bradford Council (scene of the aforementioned cuts). Such experience lends him both the tools for the job he now holds as well as the credibility with those whose help he’ll need to get things done. Housing professionals should be among them.
Crucially, he is a senior Tory figure who both commands the respect of his party and whose regular and jovial appearances on the campaign trail have won him increased public recognition in recent months.
Mr Pickles’ capacity for strong leadership will be vital if housing is to keep its head above water in the lean years ahead.
As Inside Housing went to press, it seemed unlikely that Mr Cameron would make space for a housing minister at the cabinet table, preferring to keep numbers down. The post of secretary of state for communities will, therefore, take on far more significance for the housing sector than in recent times.
Mr Pickles brings a significant number of positives to that role.
Those looking to make the case for housing must dwell on those and not the past.