Collaborating, Communicating and Connecting
20 November 2023
Our conference this year showcased the brilliant, and often ground-breaking, work our members are doing to support and work with residents in different ways to tackle the important challenges of the day.
I had high hopes for the PlaceShapers Annual Conference this year. We had so many brilliant speakers lined up – members, experts, politicians, stakeholders – and a good mix of debates, seminars, and practical workshops. I wanted members to come away from the conference feeling optimistic, informed, and armed with tips and advice to take back to their own organisations. I hope we delivered on that.
We know one of the reasons our members join the PlaceShapers Network is the opportunity to learn from others who share their ethos and priorities and are finding ways to continue to deliver for their residents and communities despite the economic and political uncertainty facing the sector. So, I was delighted that our conference this year showcased the brilliant, and often ground-breaking, work our members are doing to support and work with residents in different ways to tackle the important challenges of the day.
Given we are likely to have a general election in the next year, it was also great to spend time exploring how we can ensure the role and impact of place-based housing associations is understood and valued by government and stakeholders. These sessions provided insight from the main political parties and sector experts, examples of members evidencing impact, and practical tips of how to use the member resources we produce on a range of high-profile issues.
We know our members are ambitious for their communities, committed to long-term solutions, united in their purpose, and firmly in it for the long-term. But we know it is not easy. That is why our conference this year featured sessions designed to help members understand and prepare for the future, including upcoming changes to regulation and new expectations on chairs. I hope these sessions left members feeling confident they can address the challenges they face and forge ahead with purpose.
The conference was packed full of content, but there were a number of key themes that emerged for me over the two days:
-
There is still a housing crisis and we have a role to play in persuading the next government to invest in social housing. Housing is right up the political agenda, but we need to make sure any solutions put forward further our role as place-based housing associations because we know the difference we can make.
-
Our focus on place and our relationship with local authorities provides a real opportunity for us to describe the difference we are making as place-based housing associations. We need to be clearer about the breadth of what we do. This can range from addressing homelessness, to providing employment and training, to regenerating places and communities, to improving health outcomes. We need to tell this story.
-
There is more work for us to do at PlaceShapers to connect up the local with the national. We have a good reputation with many local MPs and councillors, but this isn’t translating at a national level.
-
The environment is likely to remain difficult for some time and there is lots of change coming and boards and executives are really feeling the pressure. We are facing new regulations, more focus on complaints, a new decent homes standard. There is so much to be aware of, but also a willingness in the sector to share learning and good practice.
I was furiously scribbling notes throughout the two days and there are two main actions that we will take on the back of the conference:
1. Pick up the main discussion points in our work to prepare for the general election and the next government, which will be a key priority for us over the coming months.
2. Look for other opportunities to share the innovative work that is going on across our membership so others can learn from it, which has always been a critical part of our work at PlaceShapers.
Never has our mantra of ‘by members, for members’ been more evident than when we are delivering our Annual Conference. We are grateful to everyone who contributed and attended. Feedback on the conference so far has been really positive, but we are keen to hear from anyone who was able to attend so we can make sure next year’s conference is even better.
Once again, huge thanks to everyone who came together to make our Annual Conference a success. If you were unable to attend or would like to review a session you can read the report produced by our wonderful Communications Network here.
