Summer Leaders' Event
15 July 2025
Our chance to step up and make a difference, but where to start?
The recent Government Spending Review announcement offers housing associations a great opportunity to work with just a bit more certainty.
At PlaceShapers Summer Leaders Event in Leeds, Chief Executives and Chairs took time out to hear from experienced speakers and reflect as a group – what now for us as PlaceShapers?
I came away with lots of optimism, this is a new start for the sector and one which many of the housing associations are well placed to take up.
However, I also came away with that awful gnawing feeling which comes from reflecting on the overwhelming needs to address, just two of these being:
- Health and life expectancy inequality; and,
- The dire situation with temporary accommodation, especially the vast numbers of children growing up this way.
We first heard from PlaceShapers Chief Executive, Catherine Ryder. We all arrived with the headlines firmly planted but we all wanted to know, what did it really mean in practice? We were hungry to hear more details from the Government as the initiatives evolve.
In the meantime, Catherine led a discussion on where is our potential to ramp up the dial with the new resources? We agreed that even low numbers of new homes would benefit our communities and make a difference to individuals. The ask for regeneration schemes led to great discussions.
Next, we heard from Vicky McDermott, Director of Housing and Communities at Newcastle City Council. Vicky gave us a personal account of her experiences before joining NCC and how her first year evolved. What was especially heartfelt was the successes around challenging anti-social behaviour. Vicky also gave us an analogy of the football pitch and who should be on the pitch – this discussion morphed into an orchestra analogy which was better for me as a person who knows absolutely nothing about football!
Lunchtime arrived and a great thing about the PlaceShapers events, is the chance to speak informally and confidentially with colleagues. It gives time to reflect on the topics from the morning and the issues we are navigating in our RPs.
The afternoon sessions were aimed at answering what can we do to prepare for the challenges our communities are likely to face over the next 10 years. First off in the afternoon, we heard from Gary Fulford, Chief Executive of whg, who kindly led us through their approach to social justice strategy. Then we heard from Kate Wareing, Chief Executive of Soha who gave us sobering statistics on temporary accommodation. Finally, our last speaker was Chris Fawcett, Chief Executive of Eden. Chris gave us a chance to explore the needs arising in our rural areas and the impact of depopulation and poor transport.
The day was hosted by Matthew Walker, Chief Executive of Leeds Federated and Chair of Placeshapers. Matthew set the scene for each speaker and kept us on target. With such rich content, whilst we had time to explore topics and ideas for solutions, we still needed someone to wield the stick to ensure we finished on time. In summary no shortage of challenges ahead, but a few more resources at our belt.
If you are a Chair or Chief Executive of a housing association then I wholeheartedly encourage you to come to the PlaceShapers Leaders’ events. You will benefit from exploring topical issues and sharing your thoughts. They work for me.