Property118

Despite the Housing Secretary’s mantra of “build, baby, build,” the Telegraph reveals Steve Reed tried to block a housing development last year in his own constituency.

Steve Reed, who took over the housing brief from Angela Rayner after she resigned over failing to pay enough stamp duty, shared a now-deleted social media post calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to intervene over a development of 237 flats in his Streatham and Croydon North constituency.

The Conservatives have accused Mr Reed of “blatant housing hypocrisy” over the scandal.

In the ever-revolving door of Housing Secretaries, Steve Reed has become the 12th person to take on the role since 2010.

The former Environment Secretary replaces Angela Rayner, who resigned following controversy over the stamp duty scandal.

His appointment comes as the Renters’ Rights Bill reaches its final stages and returns to Parliament today.

Build, baby, build

Mr Reed, the MP for Streatham and Croydon North, was previously the leader of Lambeth Council from 2006 to 2012.

Lambeth Council has launched a new property licensing scheme aimed at addressing issues related to criminal landlords and improving the quality of private rented sector (PRS) accommodation in some areas of the borough.

The new scheme began on 2 September, landlords will need a license to rent out any property to a single-family household or no more than two unrelated sharers in four specified wards.

However, the council says it’s already looking at rolling the scheme out to a further 19 wards.