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How our work will respond to the risks and opportunities of a new government

13 November 2024

The interest in the place-shaping work of social housing providers has never been higher, or more important.  

A new government brings with it new opportunities, but also new risks. The interest in the place-shaping work of social housing providers has never been higher, or more important, but the challenges the facing the sector means some organisations could struggle to maintain their focus on place-shaping.  

We want to ensure we are responding effectively to these opportunities and risks and our work remains unique and delivers impact. We have taken the opportunity to talk to members, new and long-standing, to understand what they want from PlaceShapers in this environment.  

The members we spoke to told us that they think the place-shaping role of housing associations is overlooked, misunderstood, and at risk, and PlaceShapers should support, enable and champion this role.  

On the back of these conversations, and so members are clear what they can expect from us and ensure they are getting maximum value from their membership, we want to share more detail about what our support for our members will look like over the coming months.  

PlaceShapers is a national network of social housing providers committed to supporting thriving communities and places. Our long-standing vision is to put place-shaping at the heart of decision-making. Our purpose is to support and enable social housing providers to fulfil their place-shaping ambitions and help their communities thrive. 

Supporting members to fulfil their place-shaping ambitions 

PlaceShapers is the organisation where social housing providers come to share and learn about place-shaping.  

Place-shaping looks different in different organisations, but we think it would be helpful to define what we mean by place-shaping. Over time, we will share more practice, learning and practical tools across these themes through our events, webinars and case studies.  

Physical 

• Meeting the breadth of housing need across our communities and planning for the future.  
• Providing homes, estates and communities that are fit for purpose, including through regeneration and demolition and reprovision.  
• Contributing to the broader environmental challenges in an area, including biodiversity and use of green space.  

Social  

• Supporting our communities to be connected, cohesive and resilient, including through providing, or supporting, activities and spaces for residents to be part of the community.  
• Working with the voluntary sector, community groups and health bodies to improve access to health services and support and address health inequalities in our communities.    

Economic  

• Working with the voluntary sector, community groups and partners to improve economic opportunities for residents and communities. 
• Working with families and children to help ease entrenched poverty in communities.   
• Providing, or supporting, employment and training programmes for residents and communities.  

We will also share practice and learning about the fundamental attributes of place-shaping organisations:  

• Having a demonstrable long-term commitment to place.  
• Having a demonstrable commitment to partnership working.  
• Being a trusted landlord and having a focus on resident engagement, transparency and accountability.  

Enabling members to fulfil their place-shaping ambitions 

PlaceShapers is the organisation that advocates for the policy solutions and support that social housing providers need to fulfil their place-shaping ambitions.  

We will continue to build the understanding of the impact and importance of the place-shaping role of social housing providers, as we have done through our general election work.  

We will work to achieve our vision of putting place-shaping at the heart of decision-making, alongside work to influence other policies, such as the rent settlement, funding programmes, planning and devolution, to ensure these support social housing providers who prioritise their place-shaping role.  

We believe a more place-based approach to social housing would allow us to deliver more for our communities, but we’ve never had compelling evidence to support this argument.  

This government’s commitment to social housing and devolution provides a real opportunity to move to a more place-based approach to housing, but we will need to make this case now if we are to influence government policies, programmes and funding in a way that makes this more likely to happen.  

We have commissioned work to explore the potential advantages of a place-based approach to housing - such as quicker delivery, better accountability, and outcomes that reflect the unique needs of a place - while also identifying barriers at local, regional and national level.  

We do not anticipate recommending a one-size fits all approach to devolution, or that this is necessarily the best or only way of delivering a place-based approach to housing. However, exploring the potential of devolution will be a key part of this work as this is something the government is committed to.  

This project will produce robust, evidence-informed outputs aimed at informing and influencing government policy and practice, with a focus on the upcoming Spending Review.  

We will bring together a small group of members to help guide this project, but we will also draw on the broader experience and views of members. We will share further details on how members can get involved in this work as it gets underway over the coming weeks.