The Welsh government has reappointed Julie James as housing minister.

James has been reappointed to the role under new First Minister Vaughan Gething, who was elected as Welsh leader last week.

The move has been welcomed by Propertymark.

“We are proactively seeking to arrange an initial meeting to help address future challenges across the housing sector in Wales,” said Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark.

He continued: “We are looking forward to building on our positive relationship with the Minister and championing the role of property agents to the Welsh government.

“We are pleased to see the reinstatement of a ministerial position with a dedicated remit concerning housing and have long advocated the need for this to be a devoted role given the magnitude of challenges that lie ahead in Wales. We are also pleased to see that Julie James continues in her housing role to ensure continuity.

“However, Julie James must use this opportunity to listen to concerns from the property industry and to end the prospect of rent controls in Wales. The Minister must also work across government to increase housing supply by reviewing Land Transaction Tax on additional properties and support for the sector to decarbonise. In addition, a key priority must also include Propertymark’s long-term call for a Welsh Housing Survey to help gather better insight for evidence-based policy making going forward.”