# Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

The shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government is a position with the UK Opposition's Shadow Cabinet; if the opposition party forms a new government, the designated person is a likely choice to become the new secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.
The position has existed in many iterations, first as Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1997 after the Government's reorganisation. The portfolio shifted among government departments for many years; under Conservative leader Michael Howard, the arrangement differed slightly, with a shadow secretary of state for local and devolved government affairs in the Howard Shadow Cabinet, supervising a shadow local government secretary and a shadow regions secretary outside of it.
In 2006, the portfolio was renamed Communities and Local Government, until 2021 when it got its current name with the added portfolio of housing; until 2021, the shadow communities secretary did not hold responsibility for housing as the Labour Party created a separate position, shadow secretary of state for housing in 2016. In 2024, the Labour Party retired the "Levelling up" title from the official cabinet position, with the Conservative Party following suit in their Shadow Cabinet.
This position is currently held by Kevin Hollinrake.

## Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)

| Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Norman Fowler | 11 June 1997 | 1 June 1998 | Conservative | Hague |
| Gillian Shephard | 1 June 1998 | 14 June 1999 | Conservative | Hague |
| John Redwood | 14 June 1999 | 2 February 2000 | Conservative | Hague |
| Archie Norman | 2 February 2000 | 18 September 2001 | Conservative | Hague |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Theresa May | | 18 September 2001 | 6 June 2002 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government and the Regions (2002)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Eric Pickles | | 6 June 2002 | 23 July 2002 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |

## Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2002–2003)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | David Davis | | 23 July 2002 | 11 November 2003 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs (2003–2005)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | David Curry | | 11 November 2003 | 15 March 2004 | Conservative | Howard |
| | Caroline Spelman | | 15 March 2004 | 6 May 2005 | Conservative | Howard |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government | Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions | Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions | Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions | Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions | Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Eric Pickles | | 11 November 2003 | 6 May 2005 | | Bernard Jenkin | | 11 November 2003 | 6 May 2005 | Conservative | Howard |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government Affairs and Communities (2005)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Caroline Spelman | | 6 May 2005 | 5 December 2005 | Conservative | Howard |

## Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2005–2006)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Caroline Spelman | | 5 December 2005 | 6 May 2006 | Conservative | Cameron |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2006–2021)

| Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Caroline Spelman | 6 May 2006 | 2 July 2007 | Conservative | Cameron |
| Eric Pickles | 2 July 2007 | 19 January 2009 | Conservative | Cameron |
| Caroline Spelman | 19 January 2009 | 11 May 2010 | Conservative | Cameron |
| John Denham | 12 May 2010 | 8 October 2010 | Labour | Harman I |
| Caroline Flint | 8 October 2010 | 7 October 2011 | Labour | Miliband |
| Hilary Benn | 7 October 2011 | 8 May 2015 | Labour | Miliband |
| Emma Reynolds | 8 May 2015 | 14 September 2015 | Labour | Harman II |
| Jon Trickett | 14 September 2015 | 28 June 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Grahame Morris | 28 June 2016 | 7 October 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Teresa Pearce | 7 October 2016 | 2 April 2017 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Roberta Blackman-Woods | 2 April 2017 | 14 June 2017 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Andrew Gwynne | 14 June 2017 | 6 April 2020 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Steve Reed | 6 April 2020 | 29 November 2021 | Labour | Starmer |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (2021–2024)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Lisa Nandy | | 29 November 2021 | 4 September 2023 | Labour | Starmer |
| | Angela Rayner | | 4 September 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Labour | Starmer |

## Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (2024–present)

| Name | Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| | Kemi Badenoch | | 8 July 2024 | 2 November 2024 | Conservative | Sunak |
| | Kevin Hollinrake | | 5 November 2024 | Incumbent | Conservative | Badenoch |