The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created on 5 May 2006, replacing the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), with a remit to promote community cohesion and equality, as well as responsibility for housing, urban regeneration, planning and local government.

On 8 January 2018, the government announced that the Department for Communities and Local Government will be renamed as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

In September 2021, the government announced that the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will be renamed to Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.