Peter Housden has set out changes to the senior positions at Communities and Local Government.

Housden, the permanent secretary of the department, said he has been considering a re-organisation of the DCLG’s structure over the last couple of months.

"Over the summer I have been reviewing with my board colleagues how we can best organise ourselves to deliver the ambitious programme of work set out by the new prime minister and ministerial team including:

“Housing, which the prime minister has made a top priority for government, and which we are taking forward through delivery of the housing green paper;

“Greater devolution to local authorities and community empowerment which Hazel Blears has put at the heart of the department’s work;

“And the increasing priority of our work on cohesion, preventing extremism, resilience and recovery following the events of the summer."

He announced the following re-alignment of director-general responsibilities. These are:

Richard McCarthy will become director-general, housing and planning, focused on delivering the housing green paper commitments of three million new homes by 2020; leading on the housing reform agenda; establishing the new Homes and Communities Agency; all aspects of planning reform and performance; and our programmes related to physical infrastructure. He will also chair a programme executive focussed on climate change and sustainable development to ensure we put the prime minister’s commitments to zero-carbon homes and sustainable development at the heart of our housing and planning agenda.

Joe Montgomery will become director-general, regions and communities, responsible for the government offices and establishing the department’s leading role in supporting the work of regional ministers. He will take on board-level sponsorship of the Thames Gateway and lead responsibility for European policies and programmes. He will also lead on cross-cutting policy issues such as tackling gang culture. And to reinforce the high priority which the secretary of state attaches to embedding community empowerment in all aspects of the department’s work and across government, he will continue to lead on the Third Sector and will chair the community empowerment programme board.

Chris Wormald will become director-general, local government and regeneration. In addition to his directorate’s responsibilities for local government and community empowerment, he will establish a single, integrated lead on regeneration policy, including implementation of the sub-national review, and taking responsibility for neighbourhood renewal and liveability work. From December he will take on responsibility for local strategic partnerships and performance, bringing together all aspects of our local government work in a single group. He will retain his current responsibilities for the communications and ministerial group.

Susan Scholefield will become director-general, cohesion and resilience, adding lead responsibility for fire and resilience to her current portfolio. She will lead on all aspects of our resilience work chairing the contingency planning sub-committee and ensuring the department is equipped to meet future recovery challenges such as flooding. She will become lead director-general for DCLG’s policy interests in migration issues, bringing enhanced senior leadership to this work at a time when the department’s commitments in this area are increasing

Hunada Nouss will become director-general, finance and corporate services. In addition to her current commitments she will take on responsibility for analytical services and sponsorship of Michael Kelly’s work as chief scientist. In view of the financial commitments involved, she will take on lead responsibility for the departments contribution to the Olympics, representing the department on the cross-Government Funders Committee.

Mike Falvey will be director-general for human resources and transformational change, in line with his current portfolio.