It’s certainly one of the easier changes for the Labour government to implement, but symbolic too; deputy PM Angela Rayner has declared that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities is no more.
‘Levelling Up’ is out as the department gets a rebrand; a ‘promotion’, too, as it becomes once more a ministry. From here on in, Rayner’s ‘fief’ as secretary of state is known as the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).
Rayner told departmental – now ministry – staff at a meeting on Monday; announcing the decision this morning.
Rayner said: “Our country voted decisively for change, national renewal and a return to the politics of public service. Change is what this government will deliver, with Keir’s leadership.
“A Government of public service means fixing the fundamentals, rebuilding the foundations and getting the basics right to deliver for the British people. No more gimmicks, no more slogans, but the hard yards of governing in the national interest.
“The work of my department is central to our mission-driven government. From fixing the foundation of an affordable home, to handing power back to communities with skin in the game and rebuilding local government – this will be the department of service.”
According to Rayner, it’s all part of a “back to basics” approach; one where “stunts and spin” have no place.
Despite dropping ‘levelling up’ from the title, however, the deputy PM emphasised that the aspiration and the spirit the term was meant to convey remains very much a part of her new ministry’s brief.
“When they announced levelling up, the last government may not have had the right solutions but they were right about the problem,” Rayner added.
“Because our country is too unequal, and it holds us all back. This government has a mission to tackle that. A mission not just to restore growth, but provide a better standard of life for all our citizens across all of our country. We are clear that is the mission not just of this department, but of our whole government.”
Building on the theme, Rayner said the Labour government aims to “restore the foundations of a good life”, that is home, work, and the community.
“But we’ll do it with actions, not just words,” she added. “On housing, we will deliver change for young couples priced out owning their own home, for leaseholders left at the mercy of eye-watering charges, and for those trapped in buildings still wrapped in dangerous cladding. We will deliver change for families facing eviction through no fault of their own, for renters living in damp, cold and mouldy homes, for people living on the streets with nowhere to call home.
“On communities – we will deliver change for our regions left behind by the sham of levelling up, held back by a government unwilling to match their ambition. We have a plan to power up Britain, delivering growth in every corner of the country, with a Take Back Control Act empowering mayors and giving people control over what matters to them.
“And we will rebuild local government, with integrated, long term funding settlements to local leaders, giving them greater certainty and the ability to plan for the long-term. Local government will once again be a service that people can rely on.”
Main image: Deputy PM Angela Rayner (right) with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at a housing development in Oval, London. Image credit: Kirsty O’Connor / HM Treasury. Some rights reserved
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