Committees

Nominations open for the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Chair

4 September 2024

MPs have begun the process of electing a Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in the new Parliament.

The Speaker announced the timetable for the elections on July 30. The period of nominations will run until 4pm on Monday 9 September, with the ballot scheduled for Wednesday 11 September.

The new Chair will be elected from the Labour party under the allocation of committee chairs to political parties which was agreed by the House on 30 July 2024.  

Since 2010, most committee chairs have been elected by the whole House, by a system of alternative vote and by secret ballot. To be valid, nominations must contain a signed statement made by the candidate declaring their willingness to stand.

It must be accompanied by the signatures of 15 MPs elected to the Commons as members of the same political party as the candidate (or 10 per cent of the MPs elected to the House as members of that party, whichever is the lower). More than 15 signatures can be collected but only the first 15 valid signatures are printed. Members may only nominate one candidate per select committee.

Nominations may be accompanied by the signatures of up to five MPs elected to the House as members of any party other than to which the chair is allocated or of no party. Similarly, only five such signatures are printed.

Candidates must declare any relevant interests with their nomination. Valid nominations received each day are published with the next day's Order Paper and will be listed below.

Nominations

Candidate: Shaun Davies

Supporters (own party): Jacob Collier, Phil Brickell, Rachel Taylor, Emily Darlington, Gordon McKee, Oliver Ryan, Nesil Caliskan, Dr Beccy Cooper, David Pinto-Duschinsky, Dr Marie Tidball, Alan Strickland, Mr Clive Betts, Jo White, Gareth Snell, Satvir Kaur

Supporters (other parties or no party): Simon Hoare, Vikki Slade

Relevant interests declared: Current member of Telford and Wrekin Council (unpaid); Non-executive Director, Wrekin Housing Group (until October 2024); I co-own with my wife a two-bedroom property, which is rented.

Supporting statement:

I have spent the majority of my career not just working in local government, but championing it at a national level, as Chair of the Local Government Association and Leader of Labour in Local Government. I’m also a non-executive director of a registered social housing provider, and I have extensive experience with social and council housing. I’ve seen first-hand the toll the past decade has taken on local authorities, on communities and on the housing sector.

That’s why I’m seeking election as Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee. This Parliamentary term needs to see urgent reform to the UK’s housing policy, and to the way local authorities are run and funded. These five years will prove pivotal, and as your Chair I will use my platform to help drive that reform.

Like Select Committees, local government is all about transcending party lines, and working constructively in the public interest. The problems facing housing and local government are simply too great to be used as political footballs, so as Chair I will foster an inclusive approach centred on solutions, as I did at Telford & Wrekin Council and at the LGA.

My priorities as your chair will be:

  • Housing supply and condition: Understanding what has gone wrong in the past decade and beyond, that’s led to surges in homelessness and poverty, as well as social, economic and health inequalities. Delivering new homes and improving existing ones are central to the new Government’s agenda, and as Chair I will investigate the systemic issues that deny tens of thousands of people access to safe and habitable homes, or to homes at all. 
  • Tenant voice and regulation: The private and social rented sectors have long been an area of chronic policy failure. All parties now recognise the need for structural change to the way the private and social rented sectors are regulated, which makes getting that change right - and understanding what went wrong - all the more important.
  • Local government finance stability: It isn’t being talked about enough that major local authorities across the country are going bankrupt - and more will follow. When it comes to housing, social care and a number of other areas, local governments are an essential frontline service and we need to treat them as such. When it comes to money, it’s not just a question of how much; it’s how that money is being allocated, how it’s being spent and how we can put local authorities on a secure footing.

I hope I can count on your support, and if elected, I look forward to serving you as Chair. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at shaun.davies.mp@parliament.uk.” 

Candidate: Florence Eshalomi

Supporters (own party): Dame Meg Hillier, Karl Turner, Andy Slaughter, Helen Hayes, Afzal Khan, Kirith Entwistle, Dan Carden, Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Cat Smith, Debbie Abrahams, Ms Polly Billington, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Dawn Butler, Alice Macdonald, Olivia Blake

Supporters (other parties or no party): Jamie Stone, Bob Blackman, Mr Gagan Mohindra, Jim Shannon, David Davis

Relevant interests declared: Co-owner of a rental flat with my two sisters

Supporting statement:

I am standing for chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee as a previous member of the Committee during the last Parliament and as a prior shadow minister covering this department.

I have seen the difference that effective select committees make to the strength of a department’s decision making. It means cross-party voices from across the country have their voices heard at the heart of Government, and that policies have the proper public scrutiny that they need. This is something that I know Clive Betts did exceptionally, and it’s something I will look to continue if I am elected chair.

Growing up with my single mother and two younger sisters, I’ll never forget the feeling when we were given the keys to our permanent council home after spending time in temporary accommodation.

It gave us a sense of security, stability and belonging in a community.

This sense of community, the desire to see decisions made by us not to us, inspired me to become a councillor in 2006, stand as an Assembly Member in 2016 and be elected the MP for Vauxhall in 2019.

During my time as an MP, I have seen how the housing crisis is robbing more and more families of the opportunity we had to get out of temporary accommodation and into a home. I’ve also seen the shocking state of housing disrepair that far too many people are stuck in up and down the country.

Without the right decisions in our housing sector, support for our neighbourhoods and faith groups, and appropriate action to put power in the hands of the communities, I know that too many people will end up voiceless in our country.

Last week, we saw the final report of the Grenfell Public Inquiry lay bare the consequences of horrific failures in regulation and duty of care to residents. Sadly, I know too many households are still stuck with dangerous cladding 7 years after the disaster, and affected leaseholders are facing crippling charges.

We’ve also seen councils as wide ranging as Birmingham, Nottingham and Woking face effective bankruptcy, with many more having to severely strip back on services to make ends meet.

That’s why I know how important it is to get decisions in this department right.

The new Government have put forward a substantial policy agenda addressing the housing crisis, the financial crisis in local government, our democratic systems and English devolution.

If elected chair, I will bring my expertise and experience to ensure the committee is effective and focused on providing scrutiny of these policies. This includes making sure that reforms to our planning system are carried out in a way that enables us to build the houses we need while providing the services that local communities need.

This involves making sure we listen to voices across society, including all regions and nations, and I will place this at the heart of the work I carry out. 

Further information  

Image credit: House of Commons