Simon Clarke MP has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in the UK.
Image source: gov.uk
Clarke will be taking the role over from Greg Clark, who replaced Michael Gove in July. The change has come as a result of the decision by the Conservative Party’s membership to vote Liz Truss in as its new leader, and consequently the Prime Minister. Truss replaced the majority of the cabinet in her first day,
He was previously appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 15 September 2021 to 6 September 2022.
Prior to that Clarke was the Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in 2020 and before that the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020.
In a statement on his Twitter page, Clarke said: “It’s a huge honour to be appointed Secretary of State [for] @luhc. Delivering on levelling up for communities in all parts of our country, unlocking the homes we need and supporting the economic growth that is so central to @trussliz’s Government is our mission – will give it my all.
“This is a Department that I know really well, and which I am so looking forward to returning to – the commitment and expertise of officials there on themes as diverse as homelessness, building safety and devolution is second to none.”
With the Building Safety Act now having passed the legislative process, alongside new fire safety regulations confirmed for England starting in January 2023, Clarke’s next steps in building safety will likely be to focus on the next stages of implementing the Act and continuing his predecessors’ efforts to solve the cladding crisis.
Clarke was actually working at the Treasury when the department approved plans for Gove to put pressure on housing developers to contribute to the remediation process.
Enjoy the latest fire and security news, updates and expert opinions sent straight to your inbox with IFSEC Insider's essential weekly newsletters. Subscribe today to make sure you're never left behind by the fast-evolving industry landscape.
Sign up now!
