New housing minister praised

Sharma's appointment was announced on Tuesday.

New housing minister praised

The appointment of Alok Sharma (pictured) as Housing Minister could be a breath of fresh air for the industry, according to Mel Fordham, chief executive of Centrado.

Sharma, whose appointment was announced on Tuesday, has reportedly no experience in housing which has been highlighted as a concern for many industry leaders.

However Fordham argues he should be given a chance despite his lack of housing experience.

He said: “He has put his name against some relatively controversial aspects and voted against some major changes.

“Maybe Sharma is the breath of fresh air that we need.”

Matthew Tooth, head of distribution at LendInvest, added that he hopes Sharma will serve a full five year term in this position rather than focussing on other interests.

He said: “Normally in the housing ministerial position, they will rotate the minister out before they have delivered anything. This is a post where someone needs to serve more than a year before going onto something else.

“I don’t think it is bad that this is a low profile appointment, I think it will be bad if in a years’ time Sharma just moves on.”