Morning Briefing: speculation over new housing secretary as Conservative leader is set to be announced

Meanwhile, City AM wonders whether Jacob Rees-Mogg could help Mr Johnson “revolutionise” the planning system, after he recently co-wrote a report with the Institute of Economic Affairs proposing radical free market reforms to planning laws.

Alok Sharma, whom readers will remember from his time as housing minister and know currently from his work on Universal Credit as employment minister, appeared on Newsnight last night to issue a call for unity ahead of Mr Johnson’s coronation.

Mr Sharma, according to presenter Emily Maitlis, is “widely tipped for a plum post” in Mr Johnson’s cabinet.

In other news, TV architect George Clarke has attacked the Right to Buy and said the housing system in the UK is “absolutely screwed”, ahead of his new show George Clarke’s Council House Scandal, which starts on Channel 4 on 31st July.

Mr Clarke, who grew up in a council house, argued that for every council house that has been sold, another should have been built. He added that as one of the world’s most developed countries, the UK should be doing better.

Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes has written an opinion piece in The Guardian supporting the councils that are refusing to share data on non-UK rough sleepers with the Home Office.

Earlier this month The Observer revealed that the Home Office had set up a secret programme to gain rough sleepers’ personal information without their consent via homelessness charities.

Since then a number of councils, including Hackney, Liverpool and Oxford, have said they will not participate in the programme.

In Scotland, The Herald has published a piece about the housing estate that’s “like Chernobyl” on the outskirts of Glasgow, which is home to roughly 20 tenants scattered over the area’s 430 flats.

Meanwhile, Scottish Housing News is reporting that City of Edinburgh Council is planning to introduce a licensing scheme for short-term let properties. The licensing regime would apply to properties being rented out for more than 28 days in a year – largely due to tourism – to try and control the impact these properties have on communities, rising rent and housing supply.

In local news, Thanet District Council has announced they are creating their own housing company to tackle the housing shortage, The Isle of Thanet News reports.

Finally, DW reports on how German cities are struggling to curb the housing shortage. The story is based on a report by the German Economic Institute which predicts 340,000 new homes would have to be built this year to close the gap between supply and demand.

On social media

If rumours about Mr Rees-Mogg prove to be true, it could mean a massive shake-up for the planning process:

Weekend press speculation that Jacob Rees Mogg being lined up for housing brief. If that does happen, it might mark the biggest shake-up in the planning process in 70 years. 👇 pic.twitter.com/DImFWcaWB6

— Wyn Evans (@Wynevs)

Weekend press speculation that Jacob Rees Mogg being lined up for housing brief. If that does happen, it might mark the biggest shake-up in the planning process in 70 years. \uD83D\uDC47 pic.twitter.com/DImFWcaWB6

— Wyn Evans (@Wynevs) July 21, 2019

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