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The reshuffle looks like bad news but must not distract from more important priorities

The loss of another housing minister plus a chancellor so close to a crucial Budget looks like bad news, but now is the time for the sector to regroup and focus on what is important, writes David Montague

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Esther McVey has been sacked as housing minister (photo: MHCLG)
Esther McVey has been sacked as housing minister (photo: MHCLG)
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The loss of another housing minister plus a chancellor so close to a crucial Budget looks like bad news, but now is the time for the sector to regroup and focus on what is important, writes David Montague #ukhousing

The reshuffle looks like bad news but must not distract us from the important priorities #ukhousing

Well, that escalated quickly.

After a modest reshuffle this morning, which saw the widely tipped removal of Esther McVey as housing minister, Sajid Javid dropped a bombshell by resigning as chancellor of the exchequer.

Those in the ‘Westminster Bubble’ will debate what this means for the relationship between Number 10 and Treasury, but even the immediate promotion of Boris Johnson’s loyalist Rishi Sunak to take his boss’ job can’t disguise the fact that this reshuffle has not gone as planned.

On the face of it, this is not a good day for housing. Ten housing ministers in 10 years tells its own story, and our sector has less than a month before the Budget to convince the new chancellor he should invest in housing.

But I want to be positive. With the uncertainty of Brexit starting to recede, and a government that has a healthy House of Commons majority, we need to see this reshuffle as a blip.


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Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor, Rishi Sunak named as replacementSajid Javid resigns as chancellor, Rishi Sunak named as replacement
Sector reacts to Esther McVey’s exit and ‘revolving door’ of housing ministersSector reacts to Esther McVey’s exit and ‘revolving door’ of housing ministers
Why the departure of Javid, not McVey, is the biggest reshuffle story for housingWhy the departure of Javid, not McVey, is the biggest reshuffle story for housing

We know that domestic priorities have been sidelined by Brexit, but now is the time to regroup and for the government and our sector to work together in taking a long-term strategic view of housing.

The general election result in December saw many communities vote Conservative for the first time. The government needs to take an inclusive approach to housing by delivering quality homes and thriving neighbourhoods for everyone. This means support for social housing must be as important as homeownership.

Housing associations, however, need to rebuild trust and confidence with this new government. Ministers will be asking if we used our balance sheets effectively enough to enable us to cope with the huge financial impact of fire safety work, if we focused enough on getting basic services right, and if we have championed our residents.

 

Last year, L&Q took some tough decisions to restore our financial strength, and our latest trading update shows that these decisions have stabilised our business and laid the foundations for the future.

For us, the next year will be about going back to basics – fixing homes, improving services and putting our customers at the heart of everything we do. We certainly won’t stop building, but we’ll be focusing on the homes we already have in our pipeline, and making sure that they’re built well. Getting this right will help to restore trust and confidence, both from our customers and stakeholders.

We have more work to do, and safety and quality will remain our top priority, but our ambition to work with government and provide the homes this country needs is as strong as ever.

David Montague, chief executive, L&Q

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