House of Commons Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

House of Commons Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Name	House of Commons Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Type	Select committee
Chamber	House of Commons
Established	2016
Jurisdiction	United Kingdom
Parent body	Parliament of the United Kingdom

House of Commons Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is a departmental select committee of the House of Commons charged with scrutiny of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, its policies, administration, and expenditures. The committee conducts inquiries, takes evidence from ministers and officials, and publishes reports that aim to influence parliamentary scrutiny and public debate. Its work intersects with matters handled by parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee, the Treasury Select Committee, and the Communities and Local Government Committee predecessor.

Mandate and Responsibilities

The committee’s remit covers oversight of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, including programmes linked to levelling up initiatives, housing supply, local government finance, and the regulatory framework for planning system reform. It examines departmental estimates presented to the Treasury, scrutinises statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons, and assesses departmental compliance with legislation such as the Housing and Planning Act 2016, the Localism Act 2011, and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The committee summons witnesses from bodies including the National Audit Office, the Local Government Association, and non-governmental organisations like the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Resolution Foundation.

History and Development

The committee traces its origins to predecessor select committees addressing Communities and Local Government following reorganisation of departmental oversight after the 2010 general election, with formal incarnation aligned to departmental renaming under the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the 2020s. Throughout its history the committee has engaged with high-profile national debates including responses to the Grenfell Tower fire, post-crisis building safety reforms involving the Building Safety Bill, and the policy agenda articulated by successive prime ministers such as Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak. Its evolution reflects shifts in legislative priorities following events like the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum and the fiscal pressures after the 2008 United Kingdom banking crisis that influenced housing finance and planning policy.

Structure and Membership

Membership typically comprises backbench MPs from multiple parties represented in the House of Commons, including members from the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and occasionally from smaller parties such as the Scottish National Party and the Democratic Unionist Party. The chair is elected by the whole House in contests analogous to those for chairs of other departmental select committees; notable former chairs have included MPs associated with constituency seats such as Birmingham Edgbaston, Sheffield Hallam, and Islington North. The committee employs specialist staff and advisers drawn from parliamentary researchers, policy analysts, and clerks from the House of Commons Service, and collaborates with external experts from institutions like the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Town and Country Planning Association.

Inquiries and Reports

The committee has launched inquiries into subjects including building safety and cladding remediation following the Grenfell Tower fire, affordable housing delivery in the context of the London Assembly and regional authorities, local government funding pressures post-austerity (United Kingdom), and the implementation of levelling up funding streams such as the Levelling Up Fund. Evidence sessions typically feature ministers from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, permanent secretaries, chief executives of entities like Homes England, and representatives from developers including names associated with large-scale projects in cities such as Manchester, Bristol, and Newcastle upon Tyne. Published reports have made recommendations that intersect with legislation debated in the House of Commons, and have been cited in judgments, ministerial statements, and parliamentary questions.

Impact and Influence

Through its reports and recommendations the committee has influenced revisions to statutory instruments, contributed to legislative amendments debated in the House of Lords and House of Commons, and shaped public scrutiny around high-profile interventions such as remediation funding for cladding and the regulatory approach of Building Safety Regulator. Its inquiries have informed interventions by the National Audit Office and prompted responses from secretaries of state including those who served at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the successor departments. The committee’s work has been leveraged by local authorities such as Manchester City Council and advocacy groups including Shelter (charity) to press for policy change on social housing, homelessness, and planning reform.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have argued that the committee’s influence is contingent on government willingness to act, noting instances where recommendations were not adopted or where ministerial responses were delayed, prompting exchanges reminiscent of scrutiny by the Committee of Public Accounts. Allegations of partisanship have arisen during contentious inquiries when membership aligned strongly with party positions held by MPs from constituencies such as Croydon Central or Leeds Central. The committee has also faced scrutiny regarding the breadth of its remit, with commentators from think tanks like the Institute for Government and the Centre for Cities debating whether its scope overlaps or duplicates work undertaken by other select committees or devolved legislatures including the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament.

Category:Select Committees of the House of Commons