Government creates Department for Levelling Up

Prime minister Boris Johnson has established the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The department will replace the former Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and will be led by the secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove. Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has been enlisted as the head of the Levelling Up Taskforce, which will report directly to the prime minister. Haldane will join the cabinet office as permanent secretary for six months, on secondment from the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. He will also report to Gove. Gove will lead governance and elections and will take on the additional title of minister for intergovernmental relations, working with devolved administrations on behalf of the prime minister. The shuffle follows major changes in the cabinet last week, with Gove replacing Robert Jenrick as secretary of state for the former Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He will be supported by Kemi Badenoch as minister, and Neil O’Brien as parliamentary under secretary of state. Minsters Christopher Pincher and Lord Greenhalgh and under secretary of state Eddie Hughes have also been reappointed to the department. Johnson said: “This government is committed to uniting and levelling up every part of the UK, and I am determined that as we build back better from the pandemic we are geared up with the teams and expertise to deliver on that promise. “Andy is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts to raise living standards, spread opportunity, improve our public services and restore people’s sense of pride in their communities.” Gove said the levelling up agenda would be “the defining mission of this government”. He added: “With a superb team of ministers and officials in a new department, our relentless focus will be on delivering for those overlooked families and undervalued communities across the United Kingdom.” Haldane said: “Levelling up the UK is one of the signature challenges of our time. It has also been a personal passion throughout my professional career. “I look forward to working with colleagues across government, local and national, and with the private and voluntary sectors, to design and deliver an economy that works for every part of the UK.” To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @EGPropertyNews Photo © Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock