Last week, Acuity was pleased to send two members of our team – Peter Stephenson, Head of Research and Analytics, and Josh Leggett, Research Executive – to the Housing Community Summit in Liverpool, hosted by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).
The event brought together housing practitioners from across the UK, offering two days packed full of discussions, insights, and debates on the issues that matter most to our sector.
A Powerful Start
The Summit opened with a moving keynote from broadcaster Kirsty Wark, who spoke about the importance of a home and reflected on her own family’s experience of social housing.
This set the tone for an event that explored not only policy and strategy, but also the human stories at the heart of housing.
Understanding the Political and Economic Landscape
The political and economic context shaped much of the conversation.- Ruth Curtice of the Resolution Foundation provided a sobering overview of Britain’s economic outlook – stagnant living standards, rising unemployment, increasing inflation, and the pressure being felt by renters.
- A panel featuring Kate Henderson, Gavin Smart, Rory Stewart, and Ruth Curtice decoded the post-Spending Review landscape. While the £39bn package for social and affordable housing was welcomed, there was concern about whether planning resources and ministerial churn could undermine delivery.
Discussions also turned to the emergence of Reform as a political force, raising questions about what their housing policies might mean for the sector.
Resident Voice and Engagement
Resident involvement emerged as one of the strongest themes of the Summit.- Resident speakers shared powerful perspectives, reinforcing that landlords need to be more human and less process-driven.
- Poplar HARCA’s case study showed how hyper-local engagement, visible leadership, and strong community ties can transform complaint handling and resident satisfaction.
Conversations on building safety and anti-social behaviour highlighted the importance of transparency, tailored communication, and empowering tenants to play an active role.
As one panellist reminded us, residents are the experts in where they live.
Collaboration and Safety
Partnership and collaboration were emphasised throughout. The message was clear: housing associations cannot deliver in isolation. Working with local authorities, private finance, and developers will be critical in meeting future challenges.
Key sessions included:- Resident Safety: Ali Akbor OBE, Joe Powell MP, and Fiona Fletcher Smith reflected on lessons from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Domestic Abuse Response: Dr Kelly Henderson presented a survivor-led approach focused on removing perpetrators rather than victims – a challenge to the current norm and an example of cross-agency collaboration.
Supported Housing in the Spotlight
Supported housing services were given a much-needed platform, with speakers highlighting their life-changing impact, but also the crisis of underfunding.
There were urgent calls for both emergency and long-term funding in the Autumn Budget, alongside warnings that the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act must work in practice for residents and providers alike.
Regulation and Data
The Regulator’s update touched on several issues of direct relevance to Acuity’s work:- Safety and decency remain the leading causes of downgrades.
- While tenant engagement is happening, it is often not meaningful enough.
- Improvements in data availability and accuracy are allowing the Regulator to be more prescriptive and to encourage a shift from responsive to predictive repairs.
- A new impact assessment of TSMs is being designed – with procurement due soon. This will give the sector a clearer understanding of how satisfaction measures are driving improvements.
The message was that good data is making a difference, but challenges remain around perception measures and how to use them effectively.
Other Highlights
The sessions across the two days also covered a wide range of other practical and strategic issues, including:- Anti-Social Behaviour: Managing noise complaints more effectively by simplifying processes and ensuring consistent case ownership.
- Complaints Handling: Recognising the emotional weight of complaints, and the need for empathy training, listening, and conflict resolution.
- Net Zero: The transition from gas to electric, the importance of quality external wall insulation, and lessons from recent poor workmanship cases.
- Damp & Mould: Preventative approaches using tools like FLIR cameras and the Moisture Balance Calculator, and the importance of non-blaming, resident-focused communication.
- Fire Safety: With 880,000 fire doors needing replacement in the next decade, concerns were raised about capacity and standards.
Awaab’s Law: Forthcoming guidance is expected soon, with advice for landlords to prepare by improving stock data and planning for contractor shortages
Acuity Members on Stage
It was great to see several Acuity members presenting at the Summit.- emh and Railway Housing showcased how they are using benchmarking data to improve services.
Epic shared insights on neighbourhood management.
Hearing how our members are putting data into practice to achieve real-world improvements was a proud moment for the Acuity team.
Final Thoughts
The Housing Community Summit reinforced the scale of the challenges facing the sector, from funding and safety to damp, mould, and decency. But at the same time, it highlighted the creativity, collaboration, and determination of housing practitioners to find solutions.
For Acuity, the takeaways are clear:
- Resident voice and involvement should be central to everything we do.
- Collaboration across the sector is vital to meet ambitious targets.
- Data and insight are key to driving up standards and shaping meaningful regulation.
We would like to thank the NHF and CIH for hosting such a valuable event, and our colleagues Peter Stephenson and Josh Leggett for representing Acuity and bringing back these insights.