Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, and Cabinet minister, responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). They are responsible for local government in England.

The office holder works alongside the other ministers in the department. The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Michael Gove held the position starting from 25 October 2022, previously held the position from September 2021 to July 2022 under Boris Johnson and then under Rishi Sunak from October 2022 to 5 July 2024. Angela Rayner was appointed to the role under Sir Keir Starmer on 5 July 2024.

History
The Department of Communities and Local Government was created in 2006 by then British prime minister Tony Blair to replace John Prescott's Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which had taken on the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in 2002.

The secretary of state took over the responsibilities of the minister of state for communities and local government. This post, within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was created in 2005, on the transfer of several functions from the deputy prime minister himself.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson renamed the position Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and gave the secretary and the department responsibility for carrying out the promise in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto of "levelling up".

The department was renamed as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 8 July 2024, retiring the levelling up monicker.

Responsibilities
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.


 * Strategic oversight of department's business
 * Minister for inter-governmental relations
 * Cross-cutting responsibility for Levelling Up
 * Public Appointments

List of secretaries of state and ministers
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 * colspan=8 |

Minister of State for Communities and Local Government
! colspan=3 | Minister of State ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Party ! Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * David Miliband 2.jpg
 * David Miliband MP for South Shields
 * 5 May 2005
 * 5 May 2006
 * | Labour
 * | Blair III


 * - style="height:1em"
 * colspan=8|

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
! colspan=3 | Secretary of State ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Party ! Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Ruth Kelly official portrait.jpg
 * Ruth Kelly MP for Bolton West
 * 6 May 2006
 * 28 June 2007
 * | Labour
 * | Blair III

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official photograph of Hazel Blears MP (cropped).jpg
 * Hazel Blears MP for Salford
 * 28 June 2007
 * 5 June 2009
 * | Labour
 * rowspan=2 | Brown

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * John Denham.jpg
 * John Denham MP for Southampton Itchen
 * 5 June 2009
 * 11 May 2010
 * | Labour

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official Portrait of Lord Pickles, 2024.jpg
 * Eric Pickles MP for Brentwood and Ongar
 * 12 May 2010
 * 11 May 2015
 * | Conservative
 * | Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Greg Clark MP crop 2.jpg
 * Greg Clark MP for Tunbridge Wells
 * 11 May 2015
 * 14 July 2016
 * | Conservative
 * | Cameron II


 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Official portrait of Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP crop 2.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove
 * rowspan=2 | 14 July 2016
 * rowspan=2 | 8 January 2018
 * rowspan=2 | Conservative
 * | May I
 * - style="height:1em"
 * | May II


 * - style="height:1em"
 * colspan=8 |

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
! colspan=3 | Secretary of State ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Party ! Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP crop 2.jpg
 * Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove
 * 8 January 2018
 * 30 April 2018
 * | Conservative
 * rowspan="2" | May II


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP crop 2.jpg
 * James Brokenshire MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup
 * 30 April 2018
 * 24 July 2019
 * | Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan="2" | Official_portrait_of_Robert_Jenrick_crop_2.jpg
 * rowspan="2" | Robert Jenrick MP for Newark
 * rowspan="2" | 24 July 2019
 * rowspan="2" | 15 September 2021
 * rowspan="2" | Conservative
 * | Johnson I
 * - style="height:1em"
 * | Johnson II


 * - style="height:1em"
 * colspan=8 |

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
! colspan=3 | Secretary of State ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Party ! Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Michael Gove MP crop 2.jpg
 * Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath
 * 15 September 2021
 * 6 July 2022
 * | Conservative
 * rowspan="2" | Johnson II


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Greg Clark MP crop 2.jpg
 * Greg Clark MP for Tunbridge Wells
 * 7 July 2022
 * 6 September 2022
 * | Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Mr Simon Clarke MP crop 2.jpg
 * Simon Clarke MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
 * 6 September 2022
 * 25 October 2022
 * | Conservative
 * | Truss


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Michael Gove Official Cabinet Portrait, October 2022 (cropped).jpg
 * Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath
 * 25 October 2022
 * 5 July 2024
 * | Conservative
 * | Sunak


 * - style="height:1em"
 * colspan=8 |

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
! colspan=3 | Secretary of State ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Party ! Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Angela Rayner Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg
 * Angela Rayner MP for Ashton under Lyne
 * 5 July 2024
 * Incumbent
 * | Labour
 * | Starmer
 * }