Michael Gove has been announced as the new Secretary of State for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), replacing Robert Jenrick, who has left the government as part of the Prime Minister’s reshuffle.
Mr Gove, who represents the constituency of Surrey Heath, moves to the MHCLG from the Cabinet Office, where he held the roles of Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster respectively.
He has served in numerous roles during the governments of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, most notably being the Secretary of State for Education between 2010 to 2014.
In his role, Mr Gove will take on the responsibility for levelling up and retains the Ministerial responsibility for the Union and elections.
Responding to Mr Gove’s appointment, Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), Councillor James Jamieson said:
“This has been an incredibly difficult period for councils and communities and we thank Robert Jenrick for the support he has given to local government during the pandemic. We wish him all the best in the future.
“The Covid crisis has shown what can be achieved when government empowers councils to innovate and create new services locally.
“We look forward to working with Michael Gove as our new Secretary of State at MHCLG to build on this and ensure councils are backed with the resources and freedoms they need to build back local from the pandemic, level up communities and deliver more for our residents and communities.”
Mr Jenrick, who became MHCLG Secretary in July 2019, oversaw the creation of the government’s first Ministerial offices outside of London, with the announcement of MHCLG’s second headquarters in Wolverhampton.
