Michael Gove has returned as the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities just four months after he was sacked by Boris Johnson.
Gove previously served as levelling up secretary from September 2021 to July 2022. His appointment comes as new prime minister Rishi Sunak announced his cabinet on 25 October.
Cllr Tim Oliver, chairman of the County Councils Network, welcomed the appointment of Gove due to his previous commitment to the role, which has shown his “strong” support for local government and his knowledge of the challenges authorities face.
Oliver said: “We worked closely with Michael and his ministerial team to develop the Levelling Up White Paper and then the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and it is now critical that levelling up is delivered across England.
“Key to this will be keeping the momentum going on the county devolution agenda, and this should include a clear commitment to the principles underpinning the white paper and turbocharging devolution.”
Prior to his departure, Gove announced that councils would receive a two-year financial settlement from next year to provide authorities with “financial certainty”.
According to Oliver: “Earlier this year Michael committed to providing financial certainty to the sector and we now want to work with him to deliver this.
“It is imperative that the secretary of state makes a clear case to the Treasury that local authorities cannot have any further funding reductions and he supports the case for additional financial support.”
Gove succeeds Simon Clarke who was appointed to the role in September by former prime minister Liz Truss.
Commenting on his previous role on Twitter, Clarke said: “It has been a great privilege to serve as secretary of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, working alongside some terrific people to level up our communities, just as it was before that as chief secretary to the Treasury.”
—————
FREE weekly newsletters
Subscribe to Room151 Newsletters
Room151 LinkedIn Community
Join here
Monthly Online Treasury Briefing
Sign up here with a .gov.uk email address
Room151 Webinars
Visit the Room151 channel
