The Council of Ministers has approved today the appointment of Leire Iglesias as the new Secretary of State for Housing, according to government sources. With extensive experience in housing policies, Iglesias was already part of the trusted team of Minister Isabel Rodríguez. Specifically, she was in charge of transforming Sepes into the new public housing company, Casa 47, of which she was president. She now takes on greater responsibilities in a key ministry for the remainder of the legislature.
Leire Iglesias, Basque by birth but who has developed practically her entire career in Extremadura and Madrid, has launched Casa 47, the state company that aims to manage the complete housing cycle, from planning and land urbanization to key delivery, including promotion, construction, or provision of residential properties. The ultimate goal is for housing to become a public service that guarantees the right of access to it.
At Casa 47, Leire Iglesias and her team have been incorporating properties from Sareb and other ministries with the aim of increasing the public stock of affordable housing, especially rental. Spain is still far from the European average. In the case of rentals, public housing barely represents 1.72% of the total.
One of Casa 47’s major projects that Iglesias has also activated has been the Campamento operation, a neighborhood located on the outskirts of Madrid that will be built on former military barracks. The vast majority of the housing will be public and, therefore, at affordable prices.
One of Iglesias’s major projects has been the Campamento operation, a neighborhood with almost all its housing public
Before landing at the former Sepes, Iglesias was councilor for mobility, transport, and housing of the Junta de Extremadura. During that period, the 2022-2027 Housing Plan was approved; the modification of the Law on promotion and access to housing in Extremadura, creating the acquisition guarantee fund, the accommodation and rehousing guarantee mechanism, and the tax on vacant homes to fulfill their social function.
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In Congress, she was the housing spokesperson for the socialist group during the 10th Legislature, being the rapporteur for the bills on rehabilitation, regeneration, and urban renewal; measures to flexibilize and promote the rental housing market; and urgent measures to strengthen protection for mortgage debtors. She was also the rapporteur for the bill proposal regulating payment in kind, halting evictions, and social rent.
Leire Iglesias takes the reins of the Secretary of State for Housing, which David Lucas held until just a few weeks ago, with great challenges ahead. The main one is to try to move towards a solution to the access crisis that Spain suffers. Among other initiatives, the 2026-2030 State Housing Plan has been launched, raising investment to 7 billion. The development of the housing industrialization Perte will be another of her functions.
The new president of Casa 47 will be Maribel Ramos, until now director of the affordable housing stock of the public company.
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