John Healey has been appointed shadow housing and planning minister, with a place in Jeremy Corbyn’s new cabinet.

Healey is a former Labour housing minister.

Yesterday lunchtime, he tweeted: “Housing is now a national crisis, so delighted housing now has full status in shadow cabinet and to take on job.”

His appointment came after it emerged that another former Labour housing minister, Caroline Flint, had turned down the role, unwilling to serve under Corbyn.

Healey, Yorkshire MP for Wentworth and Dearne, was – even by Labour’s standards – one of its more short-lived housing ministers.

He was the ninth and last to hold the post over the 12 years that Labour was in power.

He held the title of Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government (Housing) for just under a year between June 2009 and May 2010, and was the last of Labour’s housing ministers to preside over Home Information Packs, which were promptly dumped by the new Coalition Government.

Healey subsequently became shadow minister for housing and planning following Labour’s electoral defeat in May 2010. He held that post between May and October that year.

Following his party’s defeat, he went on to introduce a Private Member’s Bill, The Letting Agents (Competition, Choice and Standards) Bill, which he described as “unfinished business”.

The Bill sought to ban letting agents’ fees to tenants, introduce mandatory national licensing for all agents, and give local councils new powers to set up their own local letting agents.

The Bill went the way of most Private Members’ Bills – ie, nowhere – but gives a possible flavour of things to come.