CIH welcomes the reappointment of Angela Rayner as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Matthew Pennycook as Housing and Planning Minister

CIH welcomes the reappointment of Angela Rayner as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Matthew Pennycook as Housing and Planning Minister and looks forward to continuing to work with them and the wider ministerial team. We are particularly pleased that Matthew Pennycook will also attend Cabinet, a significant and positive signal of the priority being given to housing at the heart of government.

Over the past two years, Matthew Pennycook has built strong relationships across the housing sector and played a leading role in driving forward an ambitious programme of housing, planning and rental reform. His reappointment provides important continuity and stability at a time when the focus must be on turning policy commitments into delivery. Alongside Angela Rayner's continued leadership, it demonstrates the government's recognition that consistent and ambitious leadership will be essential to meeting the country's housing needs and delivering lasting change.

During her previous tenure as Secretary of State, Angela Rayner demonstrated strong leadership on housing, communities and local government, helping to place housing at the centre of discussions about economic growth, opportunity and national renewal.

During that time, she oversaw some of the most significant housing reforms in a generation. These included major changes to the private rented sector through the Renters' Rights Act, reforms to the planning system designed to accelerate housebuilding and support delivery of 1.5 million homes, measures to strengthen the delivery of affordable and social housing, and changes to Right to Buy intended to better protect existing social housing stock.

Angela Rayner also played a key role in securing a strong Spending Review settlement for housing, including significant long-term investment in affordable and social homes. Alongside this, she has consistently recognised the importance of working in partnership with housing organisations, local government and others across the sector to deliver lasting change and tackle the housing crisis.

Her focus on increasing housing supply, improving security and standards for renters, supporting councils and empowering local leaders to meet the needs of their communities helped drive progress across the sector, while also highlighting the scale of the challenges that remain. Prime Minister Burnham’s increased focus on delivering a new generation of council and social homes, alongside a more ambitious approach to preventing and ending rough sleeping, marks an important shift in housing policy and reflects a growing recognition of housing's role in addressing inequality, improving life chances and strengthening communities.

Housing remains fundamental to creating thriving communities and supporting economic success. While significant challenges remain, including the need to increase housing supply, tackle affordability pressures and secure the long-term investment needed for existing and new homes, there is also a real opportunity to build on the progress already made.

The decision to retain Matthew Pennycook in his housing role and give him a place at the Cabinet table reinforces the growing recognition across government that housing is central not only to social wellbeing, but also to economic growth, public service reform and the creation of sustainable communities. It also provides valuable continuity as the sector works to deliver on the opportunities created by recent reforms and investment commitments.

As the professional body for housing, CIH looks forward to working once again with the Secretary of State, the Housing Minister, their ministerial colleagues and partners across the sector to support delivery of the homes the country needs and the systemic change needed to underpin this. We will continue to engage closely with government on the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector and will keep members updated on developments in the months ahead.