Breaking: Gove to face questions over MMC Taskforce
Housing Secretary due to be grilled in Parliament over £10m initiative that never was
Housing Secretary Michael Gove is expected to be questioned in Parliament next week over the government’s broken promise over the £10m MMC Taskforce.
Gove is due to appear before the Lords Built Environment Committee on Tuesday, which is fresh from its inquiry into MMC, for a wide range of questions related to housing.
In a press notice today, the cross-party committee said among the topics likely to be covered are “Why the modern methods of construction (MMC) Taskforce has never met”.
In the March 2021 Budget, then chancellor, Rishi Sunak oversaw a Treasury promise that a £10m MMC Taskforce would be created to “accelerate the delivery of MMC homes in the UK”.
The taskforce would consist of “world leading experts from across government and industry” to “fast-track” the adoption of MMC, the Treasury said at the time.
After the sector voiced its frustration in 2022 at the lack of the taskforce, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told Modular Monitor it was “continuing to work through the details” and it would be “announced in due course”.
However in written evidence to the Lords MMC inquiry, the government admitted the taskforce had never come to fruition and said it was not “necessary” now.
In its inquiry report on MMC, the Lords Committee asked the government to “explain the justification for abandoning this approach” and how the £10m promised had been spent.
Next week’s session is also likely to see Gove questioned over why the government has so failed to reach its target of building 300,000 new homes a year.
He will be joined by two officials from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - Joanna Key, director general for regeneration, housing and planning, along with William Burgon, director for planning reform and housing quality.
The evidence session will start at 3.15pm and be held in committee Room 4A of the House of Lords and streamed live on Parliament TV.
I’m James Wilmore, a freelance journalist and editor who covers the built environment. This is me here and here
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