This week’s Queen’s Speech unveiled a rare dose of positivity for renters in the form of the new Tenants’ Fees Bill, with “unfair” letting fees to be scrapped in England.
However, despite the move being welcomed by tenants and charities, questions still remain over the government’s failure to appoint a housing minister at cabinet level position.
As Parliament was officially reopened, the new housing minister Alok Sharma finds himself in a back-seat role reporting to Sajid Javid, who recently retained his position as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Lord John Bird, The Big Issue founder who attended today’s State Opening of Parliament alongside magazine vendor William Herbert (below), said the government needed to prioritise housing to prevent poverty from getting worse.
“Make no mistake, the housing crisis is a declared state of emergency,” he said. “Only a powerful Department of Housing, with a unwavering Secretary of State, would keep house-building at the top of the cabinet’s agenda.
What a gent! Brilliant to be with @BigIssue vendor, William, for today's State Opening and #QueensSpeech pic.twitter.com/SDkIV8zS7E
— John Bird (@johnbirdswords) June 21, 2017