Grant Shapps, the new Housing Minister, is to make his first address to the housing sector at the Chartered Institute of Housing's (CIH) Annual UK Conference in Harrogate on Thursday 24 June.

Mr Shapps will lay out the coalition government's vision for housing in front of 1,500 housing professionals only two days after the publication of the emergency Budget.

The conference will present the minister with the sector's Housing Pact, which will lay out the expectations of housing professionals and the issues they want the minister to start working on as a matter of urgency. The Housing Pact will also spell out what the housing sector can offer in terms of providing more affordable housing with less public money, improving the nation's housing stock, cutting carbon emissions and reducing the NHS bill.


Sarah Webb, CIH Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted that Grant Shapps is using the biggest housing event in the UK to make his first major speech as housing minister and, given the fundamental role that housing will play in the economic recovery, his address will be eagerly awaited.

"We are working hard with the housing profession to secure political and financial commitments to housing in the lead up to the autumn spending review and the fact that the minister will engage with the sector at its biggest conference is significant."

(CD/GK)