Mark Prisk who was sacked as housing minister this afternoon had the undoubted benefit of knowing something about housing, having been a chartered surveyor.
He was also sympathetic to the problems faced by leaseholders and was beginning to appreciate the massive sums of money wrongly taken from them by monetising freeholders and the managing agents who serve them.
LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation met Prisk on several occasions. Furthermore, Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation is assisting him with a particularly blatant example of freeholder highhandedness in his own Hertford constituency.
Someone will have to grapple the leasehold issue to the ground, as so many British people are going to buy this form of tenure as we move from being a people of suburban houses to a people living in higher densities in flats.
Prisk, aged 51, was ostensibly sacked to make way for someone younger, which is obviously nonsense.
Building houses is the priority, and pushing this through any which way is what is now required.
This is less good news for leaseholders. Housebuilders have been making hay with leaseholders for years – the sneaky revenue earners in leases, the sneaky flogging off of the freehold to the highest bidder.
We thank Mr Prisk for engaging with leaseholders.
Related posts:
Housing Minister Mark Prisk holds leasehold meeting with Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation – but keep pestering MPs!
Mark Prisk’s department sabotages attempt to license leasehold managing agents
Bottomley demands meeting with Housing Minister Mark Prisk
Prisk to Bottomley: what’s the evidence that the Leasehold Advisory Service is not ‘balanced’? Well, how about this for starters …
Sorry to hear of the sacking of Mark Prisk. At least he understood the problems and was willing to go part way in providing a fair solution.
He was far better than his predicessor who appeared to be completely disinterested.
If the PM is looking for a younger candidate for the position lets hope the one he chooses has a Granny in a Leasehold Retirement Flat.
Is the change likely to stop progress on the work Mark Prisk had put in hand with his Department.
Makes you wonder why Mark Prisk was sacked? Perhaps he was too qualified for the job and too close to Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation!
From Susan
(is anyone else having difficulty posting comments?)
The Independent has an interesting article today, stating: “Business leaders accused David Cameron last night of neglecting the high street after he sacked Mark Prisk, the minister leading the drive to regenerate the struggling retailers … “
So it’s not just leasehold-land which is lamenting.
And for Mark Prisk – a youthful 51 – to be asked to: “Step aside from housing for a younger generation” is nothing short of preposterous. What happened to age discrimination? And where does this leave the older generation so badly betrayed by the current system?
None of these Housing Ministers really understand the difference between Leasehold and Commonhold property titles:
Nick Raynsford 1999 to 2001
Lord Falconer 2001 to 2002
Lord Rooker 2002 to 2003
Keith Hill 2003 to 2005
Yvette Cooper 2005 to January 2008
Caroline Flint January 2008 to October 2008
Margaret Beckett October 2008 to 2009
Whats his name ???
Grant Schapps Jun 2010 -Sept 2012
Mark Prisk Sept 2012 – Oct 2013
For Attention of Prime Minister :
The declared policy by Housing Minister’s Department is to accept both Leasehold and Commonhold property title for use by Property Developers.
Since the Commonhold Act was passed in 2002 , no national builder offers any property under Commonhold title and no Government Housing Mnister from 2002 onwards has made any effort to investigate into the reason why Commonhold title is not offered
Building Companies ( led by business men ) ) will always choose to offer the property title which gives the maximum profit and we can see that is achieved by selling under Leasehold title which is really a long term rental agreement and no part of the property is sold. The sale of lease becomes a business asset for the freehold company and as such leaseholders may be entering into a contract under unfair economic terms.
The Commonhold title represents ownership of the property and such sale must transfer ownership of the property from builder to the buyer and it seems that builder gains less profit selling under Commonhold title.
So we want the next Housing Minister to be selected having background tertiary education in economics and to be willing to compare the “economic playing field” for Leasehold and Commonhold property titles.
Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation stated in above text ” Prisk, aged 51, was ostensibly sacked to make way for someone younger, which is obviously nonsense”.
Mark Prisk , departing Housing Minister was born in 1962 and replacement Housing Minister Kris Hopkins was born in 1963.- yes I agree is really nonsense !
The Government led by David Cameron obviously thinks that appointiing a new Housing Minister who knows nothing about leasehold problems is the best way forward to make full use of their expertise of their MPs.