HOUSING FORUM
22 Industry comes together at Housing
Forum National Conference to
debate UK’s housing challenges
This has been the year that cost of living in the UK came into sharp focus. Central to that are
the concerns over housing and energy. The Housing Forum, as the only cross-sector, housing-
industry-wide membership organisation has been paying attention and on Tuesday 18th
October, held its highly impactful annual national conference, delving directly into these and
other pressing issues affecting the sector.

In attendance under the architecturally iconic
Regent’s Park, Grade 1 listed roof, of The
Royal College of Physicians were over 250
representatives from housing associations
and local councils, contractors/developers,
suppliers and manufacturers, consultancies,
and representatives from central government
departments such as Homes England and
the GLA.

The conference was jointly headline
sponsored by calfordseaden, an award-
winning multi-disciplinary property and
construction consultancy; and Peabody,
one of the oldest and largest not-for-profit
housing associations in the UK.

There was broad-ranging support for the
topical sessions on offer, from sponsors
Switch2, South East Consortium, Martin
Arnold, PSP, RSK, Genuit Group, Wates,
Councils Network (comprising Airey Miller,
Baily Garner, BPTW and calfordseaden), Red
Loft and Countryside.

The conference exhibition area was a lively
networking space, this year featuring a
Retrofit Zone, sponsored by Faithorn Farrell
Timms. Exhibitors include PiLON, Retrofit
Academy, Switchee, Stelling Properties,
Worcester Bosch and The Clive Smith
Foundation. The day kicked off with an introduction to the
conference theme ‘Shared Strength through
Housing Partnerships’, from Stephen Teagle,
CEO of Vistry Partnerships and The Housing
Forum’s Chairman, who noted, “The best way
to deliver more and better homes is through
partnerships. Partnerships are a fundamental
element for handling volatile times.”
Keynote speaker, Lucian Cook, Head of
Residential Research at Savills, outlined
some of the challenges facing the sector from
political instability, high inflation, and the
possibility of a housing market downturn.

Speakers looked at how the sector can
rise to current challenges, including early
engagement with all parts of the supply
chain, and advocating the use of joint
ventures to ensure we keep building
housing through these uncertain times, with
affordable housing playing a vital role.

Another focus of the conference was
decarbonisation, and delegates heard about
the potential of heat networks and the
challenges around retrofitting, including the
need to do more to understand how people
use newer technologies in their homes.

The Housing Forum’s Council’s Network
hosted a session discussing the challenges
facing local authorities in planning,
funding and affordable housing and how
#housingpartnerships can help to tackle
some of these. The theme of partnership
working was developed further in the final
session about new delivery models.

Interactive break-out sessions further
investigated ecology, partnerships, the future
of work and resident engagement.

Through each of these expert, industry-
lead sessions, networking and exhibition
experiences, deep sector knowledge
and insights were shared and developed
throughout the day, inviting collaborative
solutions to the profound current challenges
in housing supply, safety, and regulation.

A full view of the agenda is viewable on the
dedicated conference website here: www.

housingpartnerships.org.uk Social media conversation:
#housingpartnerships



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