Home » Uncategorised »
Ex-Housing Minister Back in Corbyn’s Cabinet
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
Former Labour housing minister, John Healey, has been appointed the role of shadow housing and planning minister in Jeremy Corbyn’s new cabinet.
Ex-Housing Minister Back in Corbyn’s Cabinet
Yesterday, Healey tweeted: “Housing is now a national crisis, so delighted housing now has full status on shadow cabinet and to take on job.”
The news arrives after it emerged that another ex Labour housing minister, Caroline Flint, turned down the role, unwilling to serve under Corbyn.
Healey, the Yorkshire MP for Wentworth and Dearne, was one of Labour’s most short-lived housing ministers. He was the ninth and last to hold the post over the 12 years that Labour was in power.
He was the Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government (Housing) for less than a year between June 2009-May 2010. He was also the last Labour housing minister to lead Home Information Packs, which were dropped by the coalition government.
He became shadow minister for housing and planning following Labour’s electoral defeat in May 2010 and held the position for just four months.
Healey subsequently introduced a Private Member’s Bill, titled The Letting Agents (Competition, Choice and Standards) Bill, which he called “unfinished business”1.
The bill aimed to ban letting agent fees charged to tenants, introduce compulsory national licensing for all agents and give local councils new powers to set up their own local letting agencies.
The bill did not achieve anything, but does hint at possibilities for the future.
1 http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/comeback-for-ex-housing-minister-healey-in-corbyns-new-cabinet/
