Local government has given new local government secretary Simon Clarke a guarded welcome after he was appointed by new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Mr Clarke leaves his role as chief secretary to the Treasury to replace Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark, who was appointed by Boris Johnson after he sacked Michael Gove earlier this year.
The MP for Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East, who backed policies for devolution and regeneration when he was levelling up minister, emerged as the frontrunner for the position after Kemi Badenoch and Jacob Rees-Mogg had been tipped.
It is thought that Mr Clarke's position as an MP in a co-called red wall seat will give him extra credibility and his recent experience in the Treasury could strengthen his hand in arguing for extra resources for the sector.
Chief executive of the LGiU think-tank, Jonathan Carr-West, said there would be mixed reactions to Mr Clarke’s appointment.
He continued: ‘On the one hand, it could mean a degree of continuity given his record in the early part of Boris Johnson’s Government with his thinking around devolution and levelling up, but there will be some anxiety over the more aggressive stance he later adopted and the possibility of a further moves towards reorganisation.
‘It all depends on which Simon Clarke steps forward.’
Another local government expert said: ‘Simon Clarke is a known entity to local government leaders.
‘His constituency in the North East and Treasury experience signals the survival of the levelling up agenda.'
Responding to the news of the appointment, Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: 'We’d like to congratulate Simon Clarke on being appointed as our new Secretary of State at DLUHC and are looking forward to working with him as we continue providing vital support to households and businesses facing increased cost of living pressures.
'The pandemic demonstrated what can be achieved when government empowers councils and works with them as equal partners to innovate and create new services locally.
'It is councils who are best placed to help government achieve its ambitions of local economic growth, to revive town and city centres, build more homes with the right infrastructures, tackle homelessness and look after our most vulnerable.
'It is important the Government now works with councils, giving them the resources and freedoms they need to support their local communities during the extremely challenging times ahead.'
This article originally appeared on The MJ (£).
