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BPF welcomes third Housing minister in a year

Margaret Beckett, MP for Derby South, will be announced as the new housing minister later today.

She was deputy leader of the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994 and was briefly its leader in 1994 following the premature death of John Smith. In Tony Blair's government, she held a series of Cabinet offices, including secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs and foreign secretary.

Welcoming the appointment, Liz Peace, chief executive of the BPF, said:

“We despair at the turbulence of having such a turnover of ministers. Caroline Flint demonstrated a firm understanding of housing and planning policy but after just nine months and at a time when we need stability, we have a new minister.

"We also have another new department dabbling in the environmental brief. As well as Defra, BERR, CLG and the Committee on Climate Change, we now have the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Let’s hope nobody confuses it with display energy certificates (DECs) which came into force this week.

“However, Margaret Beckett’s experience will be vital in helping reshape the fortunes of the housing market. The British Property Federation looks forward to working with her at this most crucial of times and to discussing how the professional rented sector can make a serious contribution to dealing with the housing needs of the current generation. Not withstanding the confusion over the green agenda, the industry is wholly committed to working closely with ministers to further develop a path of change to deal with the energy and environmental performance of the built environment.”

For more information and all PR and media queries, please contact Andrew Teacher, Head of Media, on 020 7802 0113 or 07968 12 45 45 or ateacher@bpf.org.uk.