Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Agency name	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Formed	2006 (as Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), renamed 2021
Jurisdiction	United Kingdom
Headquarters	Whitehall , London
Minister1 name	Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Parent agency	HM Treasury

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Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is a United Kingdom ministerial department responsible for local government, housing, planning and community policy across England. It succeeded predecessors created under the Blair ministry, Brown ministry and Cameron ministry and was renamed during the Johnson ministry as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The department interfaces with entities such as Local government in England, Homes England, National Audit Office, Cabinet Office and devolved administrations including Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

History

The department traces institutional antecedents to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Department for Communities and Local Government formed under the Harold Wilson ministry and later reorganised during the Thatcher ministry and Major ministry. Ministers and civil servants shaped policy across events like the Great Recession, the 2010 United Kingdom general election reconfiguration under Conservative Party leadership, and structural reforms following the 2012 United Kingdom local elections. The department's branding and remit were altered during the May ministry and again in the aftermath of the 2021 United Kingdom local elections when the title invoking "Levelling Up" emerged amid priorities set by the 2021 United Kingdom budget and statements by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the Downing Street residence.

The department oversees statutory duties established in statutes such as the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Housing Act 2004 and provisions connected to the Localism Act 2011. It sets national policy on matters interfacing with Homes England, National Housing Federation, Historic England and regional bodies including Greater London Authority and combined authorities led by figures such as Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan. Responsibilities range from administering schemes linked to the United Kingdom government austerity programme and coordinating responses to events like flooding involving the Environment Agency and emergency planning with Civil Contingencies Secretariat.

The department is led by a Secretary of State whose post has been held by figures associated with political parties including Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK) and coalitions with ministers drawn from constituencies such as Cities of London and Westminster and Brighton Pavilion. Supporting roles include Ministers of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, and Permanent Secretaries who liaise with agencies such as Homes England, Homes and Communities Agency (historical), and regulatory bodies including the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Institute of British Architects. The organisational structure includes directorates responsible for housing supply, planning, local growth, and building safety, engaging with stakeholders like National Housing Federation, Shelter (charity), Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and councils such as Manchester City Council and Birmingham City Council.

Major programmes have included initiatives focused on homebuilding delivery with partners such as Peabody Trust and Barratt Developments, regeneration projects modelled on examples like London Docklands Development Corporation and funding streams such as the Shared Prosperity Fund replacing elements of the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund. The department has overseen the rollout of the Right to Buy extension debates, interventions following the Grenfell Tower fire with engagement from The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and building safety reforms linked to the Building Safety Act 2022. It also administers planning policy frameworks interacting with the National Planning Policy Framework, brownfield registers, and infrastructure strategies coordinated with National Infrastructure Commission and Transport for London projects.

Budgetary allocations are set as part of annual spending rounds negotiated with HM Treasury and reflected in documents such as the Comprehensive Spending Review and statements by successive Chancellors of the Exchequer including during fiscal events like the 2015 United Kingdom budget. Funds flow to delivery partners including Local enterprise partnerships, Homes England, and local authorities such as Leeds City Council and Liverpool City Council, and finance programmes like affordable housing grants, homelessness prevention budgets, and capital funding for regeneration exemplified by investments in Thames Gateway and city region deals such as the Greater Manchester devolution deal.

The department has faced scrutiny from bodies including the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee, and charities like Crisis (charity) over performance on housebuilding targets, the handling of cladding remediation after the Grenfell Tower fire, and the management of programmes such as the Home Building Fund and the Levelling Up Fund. Political controversies have involved debates in the House of Commons and inquiries chaired by figures from committees including the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, with media coverage in outlets such as BBC News, The Guardian and The Times highlighting disputes over planning reforms, affordability, and outcomes in post-industrial towns included in the levelling up agenda like Redcar and Blackpool.