The Conservative Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) team has faced a near wipe out in Labour's election landslide.
However, the Labour victory has give a raft of councillors parliamentary seats, including Local Government Association chair Shaun Davies, who will be succeeded in his role by Cheshire West and Chester leader Louise Gittins.
While levelling up secretary of state Michael Gove did not stand at yesterday's General Election, local government minister Simon Hoare was the only member of the DLUHC line up to hold his North Dorset seat for the next parliament.
Housing ministers Lee Rowley and Felicity Buchan lost to Labour in North East Derbyshire and Kensington and Bayswater respectively.
Change begins now
Levelling up minister Jacob Young lost his Redcar seat to former deputy director of New Local Anna Turley, who served as Labour MP for the constituency between 2015-19.
Other former departmental politicians losing their seats include Jake Berry, Grant Shapps, and Sir Simon Clarke, while several other key players – including former secretary of state Greg Clark and former local government minister Bob Neill – stepped down before the election.
Former chief of staff to Rishi Sunak Liam Booth-Smith, who is former chief executive of local government think tank Localis, has also been given a peerage for his services.
Sir Keir Starmer, who will become the Prime Minister later today, has already indicated he will keep current shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner in post. The current shadow line up – including housing minister Matthew Pennycook, local government minister Jim McMahon, and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage – have yet to be confirmed.
In a victory speech, Sir Keir said: ‘Change begins now.'
He added: ‘Now we can look forward, walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back.'
Responding to the election results, new LGA chair Cllr Gittins said
Cllr Gittins said: ‘We are entering a period of huge change but also opportunity and my immediate priority is working with the new government on a fundamental reset of the relationship between central and local government, one of trust and mutual respect.'
With just two seats to go the results are:
- Labour: 412 seats, +211
- Conservative: 121 seats, -250
- Liberal Democrats: 71 seats, +63
- SNP: 9 seats, -38
- Independents: 6 seats, +6
- Democratic Unionist Party: 5 Seats, -5
- Reform UK: 4 seats, +4
- Green: 4 seats, +3
- Plaid Cymru: 4 seats, +2
- Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2 seats, +2
- Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party, Traditional Unionist Voice: 1seat each
