Housing ministers’ musical chairs continue at Levelling Up department

Junior Housing Minister Felicity Buchan (main picture) has been tasked with overseeing the private rented sector, taking over from Lee Rowley in the latest instalment of ministerial musical chairs.

Rowley (pictured), who was appointed the 12th housing minister in September, is now responsible for local government and building safety after barely two months with responsibility for the PRS. He replaced Eddie Hughes at the DLUHC on 7th September and faced some criticism that he was too inexperienced to hold the housing brief.

Buchan only got the job on 30th October but has already faced MPs in a Commons debate on the Renters’ Reform White Paper and a select committee where she continued to give very little away about the details of the proposed legislation and possible introduction date. She must also deal with hot topics including leasehold reform and the ongoing cladding scandal.

Latest MP

Last month, Lucy Frazer (pictured, below)became the latest MP to join returning boss Michael Gove in the department and is the other junior minister in charge of housing, tasked with focusing on overall strategy, house building and homeownership.

Other senior colleagues in the department are Dehenna Davison, minister for levelling up, and Baroness Scott of Bybrook, minister for communities. Following the appointment of Rishi Sunak, colleagues Andrew Stephenson, whose remit at the DLUHC included social housing, became government whip at the Treasury, while Paul Scully, who was building safety minister, moved to a new role at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Renewed calls for more permanent faces at the department and a stop to the ‘revolving door’ greets each new appointment; Frazer is the ninth minister with responsibility for housing in the last five years and the 14th since the 2010 general election.

More about the revolving door.