What's on
Tuesday 4 July

9.00am Registration, networking and exhibition viewing

10.00am Chair's welcome
Sophie Taylor, Deputy Director of Finance and Procurement, Newport City Homes
@SophieTNCH
Calon 1 Suite

10.15am Keynote: Economic outlook: what it means for Wales, the social housing sector and our net zero ambitions
Sarah Dickins, ex-BBC Wales economic correspondent and sustainability advisor
@Sarah_Dickins
Calon 1 Suite

11.00am Panel Discussion: Working in partnership with tenants and communities
Calon 1 Suite

• Providing high quality services and homes
• Building the new homes that our communities really need
• Delivery low carbon homes through retrofitting and development in a way that works best for tenants and communities

12.15pm Sub plenaries

Strand 1 : Existing Homes
Decarb, standards and tenant engagement

Housing association journey to decarbonisation - Implications for homes and for people
Calon 1 Suite
This panel will discuss the progress we have made on decarbonisation, our route map to net zero, and considerations for asset management, housing management, development and finance teams.
In conversation with:

• Chris Jofeh, Independent Implementation Group on the Decarbonisation of Existing Homes (Chair)

• Mark Doubler, Bron Afon Community Housing

• Andrew Partington, NetRet

Strand 3: Finance
Financial headwinds and tailwinds
Brecon Suite
This panel will consider the financial headwinds and tailwinds that Wales and the sector are experiencing in 2023.
In conversation with:

• Paul Stevens, Centrus (Chair)

• Arun Poobalasingam, The Housing Finance Corporation

• Rachel Orgill-Harris, Devonshires

2.15pm Workshops

Strand: Existing Homes
Decarb, standards and tenant engagement

1. Renting Homes (Wales) Act: How much of an impact are the new standards making?
Calon 1 Suite
With a particular focus on fitness for human habitation standards, quality, and maintenance, this workshop will enable attendees to discuss and learn from each other from a legal and practical perspective since the implementation of the Act.

• Bethan Gladwyn, Hugh James

2. Advancing Fabric First solutions to remediate damp and mould
Caernarfon Suite

This workshop will examine a whole-system approach to addressing the problems of damp and mould and ultimately, carbon emissions through the advanced use of lime render.

This will also be an opportunity to learn about the process and early findings from projects including Taff's Ethel Street project, with the tenant’s experience at its heart.

• Harry Cursham, Vivus Solutions

• Helen White, Chief Executive, Taff Housing

Strand 2: New Homes
Planning, environmental management and community engagement

Modular homes: opportunities for tackling homelessness
Pembroke Suite
In this workshop, Linc Cymru and ZedPods will talk about how they collaborated to create modular homes in Newport and how this project helped address homelessness. They will discuss the advantages of the modular approach, the net zero credentials of the homes and the way in which they made the tenants’ experience of living in the homes central from the outset.

• Sian Diaz and Louise Attwood, Linc Cymru

• Debansu Das, ZedPods

Strand 2: Finance

1. Balancing financial prudence and risk appetite in a high cost environment
Brecon Suite
This workshop will consider the way housing associations can balance investment across different areas of the business in a high cost environment, when to be cautious and when to take risks.

• Imran Mubeen, Director of Treasury and Corporate Finance, Bromford

2. Regulation Surgery
Caerphilly Suite
Got a question about the regulatory framework? Got your FRARs and RARs in a twist? Drop in for an open Q&A in this informal session with the Head of Regulation, Ian Walters.

3.45pm Keynote:  Resilience for people and teams in difficult times
Tori James, BA (Hons) FRGS
@torijtweets
Calon 1 Suite

Across the sector, teams have worked through a number of difficult years. This session will focus on celebrating housing association teams and their resilience, and reflecting on how to maintain that resilience and wellbeing when things feel relentless

Tori James BA (Hons) FRGS, at the age of 25, became the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest. Tori stars in the BBC documentary ‘On Top of the World’ which was produced about her expedition and she is also the author of ‘Peak Performance’ which describes her record-breaking climb to the summit.

6.30pm Drinks reception
Caernarfon Suite

What's on
Wednesday 5 July

9.00am Registration, networking and exhibition viewing

9.30am Welcome and Scene Setting for Day 2 - Craig Sparrow, Executive Director of Development, ClwydAlyn
Calon 1 Suite

9.40am Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change
Calon 1 Suite

10.05am Keynote - Vienna: Cities, towns and communities as open, green, affordable, family friendly and diverse places for life
Maria Vassilakou, Vienna Solutions and former deputy mayor of Vienna
Calon 1 Suite

11.05am Panel Discussion: What is next for refugee resettlement in an ongoing housing crisis?
Calon 1 Suite

In 2019, the Welsh Government set itself the goal of becoming the world's first nation of sanctury for refugees and asylum seekers. Since then, the situation in countries such as Afghanistan and Ukraine has amplified the importance of Wales' role in providing a place of sanctuary for those fleeing the deteroriation of human rights and escalation of war. 

With the number of refugees settling in Wales to increase by the end of this year, how does the sector gear up to support accommodating and integrating people amidst the ongoing housing crisis?

• Clare Hollinshead, Tai Pawb
• Gareth Lynn Montes, Welsh Refugee Council
• Helen White, Chief Executive, Taff Housing

12.00pm Talking Shops

Strand 1: Existing Homes
1. Getting access to the basics: Working in partnership to tackle food and fuel poverty
Brecon Suite
Introduced by Susan Lloyd-Selby, Trussell Trust

2.  Innovative approaches to customer service
Calon 1 Suite
Introduced by Emma Fish, Bron Afon Community Housing
The session will look at how customer feedback can be gathered effectively and in the moment to help identify emerging trends and allow for development of services. We will also explore how collaboration and shared knowledge can help to tackle some of the big issues faced by customers and organisations.

Strand 2: New Homes
1. More homes: What are the options?
Pembroke Suite
This session will explore funding and delivery options to make more social homes available in Wales. It will share learning from the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme and provide a space to discuss the opportunities to maximise the use of existing homes as well as build new social housing.
With Stuart Fitzgerald and Jo Valentine, Welsh Government

2. What is the key to effective working between housing associations and local authority planning teams? What do planners need most from us?
Caerphilly Suite
Introduced by Craig O'Connor, Planning Officers Society Wales (POSW)

Strand 3: Finance
1. Introducing ESG reporting and seeing the value in Finance and beyond -  An introduction to ESG reporting and the benefits adopters are finding in Finance and the Board room.
Kidwelly Suite
Introduced by Brendan Sarsfield, Sustainability for Housing and Natalie Swales, Devonshires

2.00pm Workshops

Strand 1: Existing Homes

1. The Journey to Net Zero and Void Management Services
Calon 1 Suite

The Journey To Net Zero (Part 1)

We know what it is, and we know what it means but how do you start this journey? This interactive workshop will provide you with ideas and processes you can implement in your Housing Association to help you make strategic decisions on investment to both reduce energy use and carbon.

Void Management Services (Part 2)

Managing occupancies in HMO's or Multiple Properties with multiple suppliers, is a time consuming and stressful task! The second part of the session will be dedicated to sharing best practices and solutions to manage changes in tenancies and unoccupied or abandoned properties.

• Emily Berry and Kaylea McKenna, Utility Aid

2. Financing decarbonisation. What options should be explore?
Brecon Suite

• Antoine Pellet, HACT

• Simon Turek, Arctica Partners

Strand 2: New Homes

1. Complying with the New Homes Quality Code: What does a developer need to do now, and what does dispute resolution look like?
Caerphilly Suite

• Clare Folland-Nickels and Rhian Price, Hugh James

2. Working with Welsh Government on the Social Housing Grant
Pembroke Suite

• Helga Warren, Sian Coggins and Carrie Satherley

Strand 3: Finance

Delivering more with less - Driving continuous improvement in a challenging financial environment
Kidwelly Suite

Sophie Taylor, Deputy Director of Finance and Procurement, Newport City Homes