Weekly planning news

Steve Reed appointed new housing secretary after Angela Rayner resigns

Steve Reed has been appointed as the new housing secretary following Angela Rayner’s resignation.

Rayner, who also stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party, resigned after being found to have breached the ministerial code by failing to pay the correct amount of stamp duty on a recent property purchase.

In a letter to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Rayner said she had referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards earlier this week after realising she had “inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for stamp duty land tax”. The adviser’s report, published today, concluded that her “unfortunate failure” to pay the correct rate – uncovered only after “intensive public scrutiny” – amounted to a breach of the ministerial code.

Although the report stated that Rayner had acted “in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout”, she said she had “long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards” and therefore took “full responsibility” for the error.

Rayner said she “deeply” regretted not seeking specialist tax advice, particularly in her role as housing secretary. Starmer responded in a handwritten letter, describing himself as “very sad” her time in government had ended in this way, but praised her work at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to “help build the homes that Britain needs”.

Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in 2020 and appointed housing secretary in July 2024 following Labour’s general election victory. During her tenure, she oversaw revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 and introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is still progressing through Parliament.

Following her departure, Sir Keir Starmer appoint Steve Reed as her replacement. Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North, has served as environment secretary at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) since Labour’s election win last year. He previously held roles as shadow secretary of state for communities and local government (2020–21) and shadow minister for communities and local government (2015–16).

Earlier this year, Reed said it was “inevitable” that some new homes would be built in flood-risk areas and pledged to take a “common-sense” approach to environmental rules to accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery.

Reacting to his appointment, Reed said on X, formerly Twitter:

“It’s a huge honour to be appointed housing secretary. Together, we will get Britain building and create a future where everyone has access to affordable, safe homes and thriving communities.”

Proposed new town near Southend faces uncertainty amid housing target dispute

A proposed 10,000-home new town development in Essex,¹ spanning land north of Southend-on-Sea and into Rochford, is facing significant uncertainty. Southend-on-Sea City Council has indicated it may withdraw from the plan if the new homes do not count towards its housing targets. The proposal, which includes 5,000 homes near Bournes Green Chase in Southend and 5,000 extending into Rochford, was initially submitted as a joint effort by the councils and landowners.

However, Rochford District Council withdrew its support in June 2025 due to concerns that the additional homes would not contribute to its 15,000-home housing target. The uncertainty in policy also has led Southend-on-Sea City Council to reconsider its involvement, with a spokesperson stating that the council would "consider withdrawing" if the development does not align with its housing objectives.

The government's New Towns Taskforce, established in September 2024, is currently reviewing over 100 proposals for new towns across England. The taskforce aims to identify up to 12 sites for new towns, each comprising at least 10,000 homes, to address the national housing shortage. However, the final list of recommended sites has not yet been published, and the government's stance on whether new towns will count towards local housing targets remains unclear.

‘Mega-projects’ at risk as governance reforms fall short

A new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report finds² that critical infrastructure projects could be ‘left out’ of plans to strengthen governance of ‘mega projects’.

The PAC welcomed HM Treasury’s (HMT) commitment to tighten governance of so-called ‘mega-projects’ – those worth over £10bn and characterised by their cost, scale and complexity – following a history of delays, overspending and weak planning. The changes follow recommendations from the Office for Value for Money (OVFM).

However, the report highlights that only three projects have been classified as ‘mega’ under the new approach: HS2, the Sizewell C nuclear power station and the Dreadnought submarine programme. This leaves other major programmes, including Euston station, the New Hospitals Programme and the Lower Thames Crossing, outside the scope of enhanced oversight. With more than 200 schemes in the government’s portfolio, the PAC has urged HMT to explain how projects are being classified and why others face being governed under processes already shown to be ineffective.

The Committee also raised concerns about how new governance structures - such as cross-government Mission Boards and plans for “place-based” coordination - will work in practice. It warned that overlapping responsibilities could create duplication and confusion without clear accountability and the right skills in place.

On the wider infrastructure strategy, the PAC said it was unclear how HMT and the new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will be held to account, warning that the loss of the independent oversight once provided by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) risks weakening scrutiny.

PAC Chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said:
“It is welcome to see recognition from the Treasury that, given past failures, a firmer grip must be taken on so-called ‘mega-projects’. However, it is surprising that under the current definition, greater accountability applies to just three of over 200 of the nation’s most challenging schemes. Many high-profile programmes will still suffer from the same unsatisfactory governance demonstrated to be so ineffective in the past.”

He added that without better alignment of the government’s new mission-led governance structures, failures seen in HS2 could be repeated across future infrastructure delivery.

1. https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/25450079.southend-council-withdraw-10-000-home-new-town/
2. https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/127/public-accounts-committee/news/209194/critical-programmes-slip-through-net-of-new-governance-plans-for-govt-megaprojects/