Labour MP Abena Oppong-Asare has been elected Chair of the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, pledging to lead a strong and independent committee that holds the Government to account and delivers for communities across the country.
The Erith and Thamesmead MP was elected by MPs across the House and takes up the position with immediate effect. She will serve as Chair until the end of the Parliament.
Oppong-Asare said:
“I’m honoured to have been elected Chair of the HCLG Committee.
“Thank you to colleagues across the House for your support.”
She added:
“I’m determined to lead a strong, independent Committee that holds the Government to account and delivers for communities across the country.”
Major scrutiny role on housing and local government
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee scrutinises the work of the department responsible for some of the Government’s most important domestic priorities, including housing, planning, local government, communities and devolution.
Its work is particularly significant as Labour presses ahead with major housebuilding ambitions, social housing reform and the transfer of greater powers to mayors and local leaders.
The committee can question ministers and senior officials, launch inquiries and make recommendations on government policy.
Oppong-Asare succeeds Florence Eshalomi
The vacancy arose after former committee chair Florence Eshalomi MP was appointed Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith earlier this month.
Oppong-Asare was subsequently elected in a ballot of MPs, alongside Catherine Atkinson as the new Justice Committee chair and Olivia Bailey as chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.
Housing reform high on parliamentary agenda
Her appointment comes at a particularly important moment for housing policy.
The Government is pursuing reforms to social housing and Right to Buy, major housebuilding targets and a wider programme of planning reform, while councils continue to face intense financial pressures and rising demand for housing and homelessness services.
The committee will therefore have a central role in examining whether those policies are delivering in practice and whether local authorities have the resources required to implement them effectively.
Focus on communities and accountability
Oppong-Asare’s emphasis on independence suggests she intends the committee to scrutinise ministers robustly despite being a Labour MP herself.
That is a central feature of the select committee system, with chairs expected to work across party lines and build evidence-led inquiries rather than simply reflect the position of their own party.
For Oppong-Asare, the new role provides a major platform to scrutinise Labour’s housing and devolution agenda while ensuring the experiences of councils, communities and residents are heard directly in Parliament.
