Written by Andrew Clark

Two weeks into a Labour government and we have seen a flurry of announcements on the development front.

Following the Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner, decision to call in two data centre applications for review, just a few short days after the election, there have been further pro-development moves by the new Labour Government.

The Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, has approved three major solar energy farm applications. The schemes, located across the country, demonstrate that it is not just the Ministry of Housing who are looking to turbo charge development in the UK.

This decision was taken directly by the Secretary of State for Energy, and while this was coordinated with colleagues in the Department for Housing and at the Treasury, there has certainly been autonomy granted to individuals within government to take bold decisions when it comes to critical development projects.

There have been strong suggestions that Ms Rayners decision to call in the data centre schemes came following a direct request by the Secretary of State for Development, Science and Technology, Peter Kyle.

Kyle was prompted to do so when it was explained to him that the refusal to approve the schemes were in no small part due to views that the schemes were “ugly” rather than based on any sound planning grounds.

Who is who at MHCLG?

While there are still some appointments outstanding at MHCLG, the key players are now in place and will likely remain unchanged for the next 12 months.

Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government

Angela will hold the reins at the department and will act as the focal point for other Cabinet colleagues and Regional leaders to feed into. Her role will be strategic and extend beyond development into critical areas of local government.

The scale of her responsibility is vast, and while it does not mimic the historically large portfolio granted to John Prescott when he served as Tony Blair’s Deputy, it loads Labour’s key manifesto pledge squarely onto Ms Rayner’s shoulders and will define her political future.

Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning

With the departmental brief split between Local Government and Housing, Pennycook holds responsibility for Housing, the same remit he was responsible for in his Shadow Cabinet role.

Pennycook is detail-focused and policy-driven. He played a key role in the build up to the election, namely presenting the detail on Labour’s Housing policy whilst leaving the big announcements to more senior colleagues.

Pennycook is tasked with ensuring that Labour’s pledge to get Britain building new homes is realised. This gives him the task of creating the policy and legislative environment to enable 1.5m homes to come forward in the next five years. He will be responsible for guiding legislation through Parliament and responding to the inevitable attacks from the Opposition Benches, who will try and use Labour’s willingness to build as a key dividing line between them.

While Labour’s large majority makes this task of managing policy through Parliament easier, the reality is some of the new backbench MPs sitting on wafer thin majorities may prove more challenging than Labour expects. While the Whips will be responsible for managing discipline on the Parliamentary Chamber floor, it will be for Pennycook to bring his colleagues on board and show a unified face on the critical issue of housing delivery.

A London-based MP, Pennycook is no stranger to development, but the strength of his political will is likely to be tested in the next few years.

Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Often referred to as the “most powerful politician you have never heard of” McFadden’s role in the new Labour government is a simple one: delivery.

The Duchy of Lancaster role is typically undefined by a ministerial responsibility allowing the individual to hold a different role to other ministerial colleagues. McFadden has been assigned with managing Cabinet and ensuring Ministers are delivering on Labour’s manifesto with commitments of development being front and centre of this.

It will fall to McFadden to make sure each department is working efficiently and hitting the goals laid out before them.

A major focus for him will be housing delivery. With more than a dozen pieces of legislation affecting housing and development in the Kings Speech, there is no lack of legislative weight behind the issue. Pat’s job will be to ensure the politics marches in step with the legislative agenda and to assess whether the teams responsible for key manifesto commitments are able to do the job.

Nick Boles: Will he be the new Planning Tsar?

Former MP Nick Boles, who served as Planning Minister under David Cameron, has been mooted in some quarters as a possible “Planning Tsar.”

It’s clear Nick has been working with Kier Starmer’s Chief of Staff, Sue Gray, ahead of the election. This has been described as “preparing ministers for government” or “just advising the Chief of Staff” depending on who you ask.

When the possibility of Boles being offered a role first broke in the Guardian two days after the election, the silence from Rayner’s team was deafening. The appointment of a former Tory Minister and the architect of Permitted Development would not be popular in all quarters.

Boles has also spent the last few years working in the development world, and there may be concerns regarding his closeness to the industry at a time when Labour is trying to reset the relationship between developers and the government.

There will be a question mark about whether a Planning “Tsar” is needed as this could dilute the influence that Ministers, the MHCLG and the Treasury have on this critical manifesto pledge. It remains to be seen whether Labour will appoint anyone into this role with the final decision on the matter perhaps showing where the balance of power lies in Labour’s leadership team.

Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Reeves has stamped her authority on Labour’s housing and development commitment from the first day in Government. Her first major speech, just four days after the election, placed housing and development at the heart of Britain’s economic recovery.

This past week the Chancellor has hosted a series of roundtables with construction and development leaders, to discuss their thoughts on Labour’s emerging plans and how the industry can work with government.

It’s crucial to note that while other cabinet colleagues have attended both last week’s speech and the recent roundtable discussions, it was Reeves who set the agenda.

It is clear the Chancellor will be a prominent figure on housing in the early days of this Labour government. What remains to be seen is whether she remains as visible on the issue or whether Reeves begins to step back and allow fellow Secretaries of State to take on more of these high-profile interventions.

What is undoubtedly true is that the Treasury team will play a major role in all emerging policy that is in any way linked to economic growth or public spending. Labour’s fiscal discipline will need to be tightly maintained to ensure key manifesto commitments are achieved without breaking the bank.

What happens next?

The next few months will see senior Special advisors and Departmental advisors appointed to the MHCLG team. Some of these individuals have been with the Ministerial team for years and others will be joining Government from the Private and Third Sector. Kanda will be providing detailed background on the team in future posts.

We will also bring you all the news as Labour pushes towards major announcements at Party Conference in September. These will include the provisional sites for the next wave of New Towns and the first look at Green Belt release.

Join our mailing list today to discuss how we can work with you to help you better understand Labour’s new approach to housing by contacting us here: politicalinsights@kandaconsulting.co.uk