Brandon Lewis remains as architecture minister

The department of communities and local government has confirmed that architecture will remain part of Brandon Lewis’s portfolio as housing and planning minister.

Lewis held the position of housing minister towards the end of the last government and was last week confirmed in the same role. Architecture was moved into his intray just before the election and this week a DCLG spokesman confirmed it would stay with Lewis.

In March, government oversight of architecture was moved from the ministry of culture to the far more powerful communities department. The switch was seen as one of the most significant outcomes of the Farrell Review process begun by culture minister Ed Vaizey two years ago. Vaizey, a previous architecture minister, remains a culture minister with his resposibilities straddling both the departments of culture and business.

One of Vaizey’s bosses, new business secreatry, Sajid Javid, who was previously culture secretary for a year in the old Coalition government, will also be responsible for design at a central government level.

Meanwhile, Allies & Morrison partner Helen Hayes is the new Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, replacing Tessa Jowell who stepped down to concentrate on running to become London’s mayor next year.

Hayes joined the practice in 2011 when her own company Urban Practitioners was taken over by Allies & Morrison. Her brief at Allies & Morrison included working on town centre regeneration.