Communicate: Opening and Keynote Speech

Matthew Walker, Chair of PlaceShapers and CEO of Leeds Federated, opened PlaceShapers 2023 by welcoming members - especially three new members RHP Group, Magna and Moat - and speakers.

Clive Betts, the influential Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee, shared his thoughts and insights on where housing is heading over the coming years. Looking back over 31 years as an MP,  he reflected that the housing crisis was long-term in the making and needed long-term solutions to fix it.

He urged members of PlaceShapers to help ensure that housing is at the forefront of priorities with whoever gets to power at the next general election.

He highlighted the importance of making the link between housing and other societal issues such as health and educational attainment, quoting his constituent city of Sheffield where life expectancy differs by 10 years, depending on which part of the city someone lives. He acknowledged the role that place-based housing associations have to play in fixing some of these issues. 

Our past and present board members Allister Young, CEO of Coastline and Kate Wareing, CEO of Soha, reflected on the current environment, and the intense pressure faced by communities, members and stakeholders. As committed members of the PlaceShapers network, they both saw the importance of members working together to set out our stall for the next general election. 

Communicate: How we are viewed, the challenges and opportunities of getting our message across and what that means for our partnership working at a national and local level.

Rhys Moore, Executive Director of Public Impact, National Housing Federation (NHF)
Lucy Dixon, Head or External Affairs, Karbon
Matt Turpin, Public Affairs Lead, Vivid
Cllr Oliver Monk, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing, Cornwall Council
Chaired by Kate Wareing, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, Soha

The session delved into how the public perceive housing associations with Rhys showing findings from NHF and YouGov research which highlight that the public have a reasonable understanding of the sector but many are less sure of our impact.

All the speakers agreed that political stakeholders often positively understand the work that their local housing association does but questioned why this doesn't add up to a better national perception of the sector.

Councillor Monk was positive about his relationships with housing associations in Cornwall and set us a challenge to replicate that across the country. 

The panel discussed what we could be done differently to to shift perceptions of the sector. Key points were:

• Be bold in describing our impact, including the homes we build and the economic benefits of our work.

• Be clear about the challenges we face and how we’re going to tackle them.

• Build on our collaborative approach and relationships with local authorities.

• Work in partnership with residents; their lived experience tells the strongest story and demonstrates delivery.

• Have a robust process for responding to councillors and MPs as elected stakeholders.

Collaborate: The importance and practicalities of extending digital inclusion to our residents.

Nick Horne, CEO, WCHG
Sarah Woolley, Senior Community Development Manager, WCHG
Chaired by David Cummins, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, Warrington Housing Association

Nick, who is also the Digital Lead for the Greater Manchester Housing Partnership, introduced the pilot project five internet service providers ran with five GMHP members to create a sustainable model for digital inclusion in social housing. This saw over 5,000 households offered a social tariff or data sims.

Sarah shared insights from the WCHG involvement which helped to support 1,500 residents to become digitally included. Sarah explained the importance of understanding customers and knowing their digital inclusion levels to be able to help them fully participate in the digital world and engage in digital services.

Both Sarah and Nick shared the difference the pilot project had made for their residents and urged other housing associations to make digital inclusion a priority as it is central to levelling up. 

Communicate: How we demonstrate impact through evidence and storytelling. 

Jo Savage, CEO, Greatwell Homes
Andrew Van Doorn, CEO, HACT
Gail Puttock, Tenant Board Member, emh
Chan Kataria, CEO, emh
Chaired by Carol Carter, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, Origin

Carol highlighted the importance of using stories, and the evidence they create, to shape policies.

Andrew shared his reflections on impact. He suggested we need a longer term approach, with a golden thread running through all of our work which quantifies impact with evaluation. He said we should start with measuring what matters most to customers.

Jo shared how they co-created a set of 16 measures with their residents that show the impact of their work as place-shapers across the themes of physical, economic, democratic and social regeneration. 

Gail reflected on the power of case studies (both good and bad) in helping determine impact and shared insights from a local retrofit project to highlight this.

Chan urged the sector to consider how we can use stories to build trust and strong partnerships. He said customers telling their own stories has more influence. He also highlighted that it’s not just about how many new homes we build but more nuanced stories about impact through employment or support services.

The panel all agreed that we need to use stories and metrics to better demonstrate our impact as place-based housing associations. 

Connect: How we understand and prepare for the new regulations and expectations on complaints.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman
Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement, Regulator of Social Housing
Ceri Theobald, Group Director Strategic Partnerships & Growth, Futures Housing Group
Chaired by Paul Fiddaman, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, Karbon

The Regulator and the Ombudsman reported intense activity as the Social Housing Regulation Act takes effect and the Consumer Standards and Code of Practice and updated Complaints Handling Code are published soon.

Kate updated that the Consumer Standards consultation received 1,000 responses; the TSM consultation was also robust, with, hearteningly, 60% of participation being tenants or tenant bodies. Talking to tenants would form part of an RSH inspection from next year to determine if tenants exercised genuine influence. Kate also explained the RSH had work to do to calibrate their judgements on consumer regulation. Kate explained that the standards haven't changed much, but the big shift should come from them now being proactively regulated. 

Richard explained that the Ombudsman is predicting handling 10,000 cases next year. The Access to Information Scheme is in progress and the Ombudsman will be issuing guidance to landlords on good practice. The Ombudsman will continue to focus on learning and disseminating good practice as their role evolves.

Richard's advice was to "make Stage 2 count" in any complaints process and emphasised the importance of quality assurance in complaints processes.

Ceri talked about the work Futures Housing Group are doing to prepare for the new regulations and explained the importance of being able to evidence how customers have influenced decisions made by the board. 

Asked about issues on the radar, the advice was to look carefully at health and safety compliance and focus more on additional needs of residents.

Connect: Preparing for the future, how the expectations on chairs is changing.

Peter Hubbard, Managing Partner, Anthony Collins Solicitors
Christine Turner, Chair, Magna
Heather Thomas, Chair, ccha
Chaired by Claire Higgins, PlaceShapers Vice-Chair and CEO, Cross Keys Homes

Claire set the context of an increasingly complex world in which chairs operate. Chairs need to steer their organisations through a difficult financial environment while remaining resilient and focussed on the future.

Peter spoke of the need for chairs to step away from the detail and to look at the medium-term financial position and increased investment expectations when income is limited.

Heather shared her experience of being a chair over the last few years, particularly during Covid. She also reflected on the importance of chairs and executives being able to stay in control of the future of the organisation, despite everything that is being ‘thrown at us’ as housing associations. 

Christine talked about her top issues as a chair, including data integrity. She shared her views on how governance needs to evolve and what best practice looks like now. She also highlighted the importance of board member development training.

The session then explored diversity, the support available to chairs, including the PlaceShapers chairs network, and how chairs can retain clear lines of responsibility between boards and executives.  

Connect: How we continue to build, regenerate and invest in communities through difficult times.

Rob Wakefield, CEO, Community Gateway
Babu Bhattacherjee, Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods, Poplar HARCA
Chaired by Cath Purdy, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, South Lakes Housing

Babu explained how Poplar HARCA are regenerating areas of Tower Hamlets in east London, which sits next to the affluent area of Canary Wharf. This regeneration is a very long-term project where they have had to be patient and keep the community with them. The regeneration has been wholesale, where homes, health education (including adult learning), faith and economic and social facilities and more have been created. In total this is valued as  £2+bn regeneration programme. Read more about the regeneration here.

Rob spoke of how stakeholder partnerships and working with residents had supported regeneration and brought back into use long-term empty homes and delivered many community facilities. He highlighted the importance of facilities like the Preston Vocational Centre, a small charity which provides young people with construction-based training often on projects in the community. Read more about the regeneration here.

Both speakers agreed that regeneration is going to get harder but argued it must remain core for place-based housing associations, with their long-term commitment to communities, as it creates environments where people are proud to live. 

Communicate: Using our membership resources to share the place-shaping message.

Pritti Allen, Head of Communications, emh
Georgina Thompson, Communications and Marketing Lead, 54NorthHomes
Joanna Charlton, Communications Lead, PlaceShapers
Chaired by Catherine Ryder, CEO, PlaceShapers

The PlaceShapers Strategic Plan includes outcomes focused on communicating the impact of place-shaping work and giving a strong voice to residents.

Joanna updated on research by the communications network to identify how it could best support members in their place-shaping role. One outcome is a new communications library that offers members resources bringing good practice, consistency and value for money. 

Pritti introduced Healthy Homes, a toolkit to support members on their response to damp and mould. Members report the toolkit is clear, accessible and robust. They value the assurance of PlaceShapers having worked with residents on the tone and with the Energy Saving Trust to ensure the content is independent and reliable. The input of the Housing Ombudsman to ensure the toolkit reflects the communication findings of its investigation into damp and mould adds to its value.

Georgina introduced the rent communications toolkit, setting out how it had been developed using research among residents to create messaging which resonates with them. Members had used the toolkit to review their own communications last year, and were now starting to use it in this year's rent setting process. Members also reported the value it delivered for stakeholder communications on the topic.

All of the speakers urged delegates to review the resource library available to members and see how they could use the tools and resources to support their work. 

Collaborate: How we can work with our residents to be more responsive and effective organisations.

Alison Inman, Board Member, tpas
James Green, Director of Social Innovation, Eastlight
Lisa Harper, Community Empowerment Officer and Resident, Eastlight
Karen Badenoch, Community Entrepreneur, All In and Director, Trusted
Chaired by Catherine Ryder, PlaceShapers CEO

The session explored responsive, impactful resident engagement, moving beyond theoretical discussions to delve into practical aspects, sparking a reflection on governance, decision-making, and the depth of resident involvement in these processes.

Alison shared her perspective on involving residents in decarbonisation, an example of the sector's progress in genuine engagement. The upcoming consumer regulation emphasises openness, fairness, and respect, highlighting the importance of authentic engagement.

Lisa and Karen set out their inspirational stories of becoming involved in Eastlight's All In - four teams of Essex residents who have spent the last year dedicating their time to one goal: to create a bold solution to a major social issue in their community.  

James talked about Eastlight's work to transfer power to residents and how this had completely changed the way they work. He emphasised their community-driven approach, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of the 20 community members who were initially uncertain but united by a shared commitment.

Three key factors have driven Eastlight's approach to resident influence:

• give up power to residents.

• invest substantially in skills and salaries.

• maintain a relentless focus on measurable impact.

The programme's success, evidenced by lifechanging outcomes, showcases the value of resident-led initiatives. James stressed the significance of trusting residents as the "great and the good" and advocated for a resident-centric approach to community engagement for lasting impact. 

Collaborate: How we can understand and respond to the challenges and increasing vulnerability our residents face.

Aileen Evans, CEO, Grand Union
Chris Simpson, Executive Director, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust
Chaired by Jonathan Higgs, PlaceShapers Board Member and CEO, Raven

Chris introduced Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s research into hardship and destitution, giving powerful statistics which included:

• Some 4.5 million UK households are in arrears.

• 2/3 of people experiencing destitution are disabled or have some health difficulties.

• 3/4 of those experiencing destitution are in rented accommodation, many of whom are served by the social housing sector.

He stressed that traditional sources of support which people have long relied on, such as the NHS and social services, are very stretched and that housing associations are having to fill some of the gaps. 

Aileen talked about how Grand Union are taking a 'needs based approach' to the delivery of their services. Their work on segmentation looks at customers' needs, capabilities and vulnerabilities and assigns them to one of six categories. They can then tailor the delivery of their services and communications accordingly. 72% of their customers have at least one condition that affects them on a daily basis, and this approach is paying dividends in helping them meet their customers' needs. It has also paved the way to developing strategic partnerships with other bodies, such as public health, to offer services that their customers need.

Both speakers agreed that things could get more difficult for our residents over the coming years, and while we can't do everything as housing associations, understanding our residents and their needs is key to ensuring we can make the most of our resources to deliver the support where it is needed most.