Mark Prisk pledges to work with housing sector

New housing minister Mark Prisk threw housing professionals an olive branch this week when he promised to work with the sector to solve the housing problems the country faces. In a move that marked him out from his predecessor Grant Shapps, he deferred to housing leaders gathered in Birmingham at the National Housing Federation conference, stating that he valued their experience and understanding. "The expertise gathered here is not one that I intend to ignore," he said. He used his speech to call for a spirit of collaboration between government and housing providers to solve the "short-term symptoms and long-term causes" of the housing crisis, and chose to meet a select group of sector representatives in private for his first full briefing in post. But he told housing associations that he expected them to be "bold". He challenged them to use their expertise to diversify and build houses that "serve a wider range of people". He highlighted the work of Thames Valley Housing in building high value homes for private rent, and London & Quadrant for designing new home ownership products for a range of buyers. In return, Prisk said he would endeavour to provide housing associations with the longer-term financial and political certainty they need to be able to innovate. "I understand why you need that certainty and I intend to address this longer-term framework and I want to do working with you and others so we get it right." This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Join the housing network for news, analysis and best practice direct to you