Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the NHF Governance Conference 2025. Despite battling cancelled trains (my ongoing nemesis!), I was delighted to take part including stepping in as a last-minute panel speaker to explore "Fostering EDI from the Board to the Ground".
The day offered a jam-packed agenda with thought-provoking discussion and invaluable takeaways for the sector. Below are some of the key themes that stood out.
The 2025 Spending Review
With the sector continuing to face increasing pressures, the conference coincided with a key milestone, one week on from the Comprehensive Spending Review and so the first session of the day "12 months of the new Government: a new chapter in social housing" took place with a sense of of cautious optimism, with a clear message that housing is very much on the national agenda.
Many of the Spending Review commitments look towards new supply, however panellist Nick Burkitt from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also took time to reaffirm the Government's commitment to the safety and quality of existing homes, as well as new supply. Kate Dodsworth from the Regulator of Social Housing echoed this later on in the day, noting the need to balance ambition on delivery with investment in the existing stock.
There was also anticipation around forthcoming policy announcements, including the Competency and Conduct Standard, Decent Homes Standard and efficiencies, and STAIRS (Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements). However, we await further updates on these with no fixed timeline provided.
Feedback from attendees was clear that we are still waiting on some of the detail behind the commitments including allocation and grant rates as well as how rent convergence will work. The Chief Executive of Homes England's announcement that a consultation on rent convergence "will be starting later this month" and that the new Affordable Homes Programme will open for bids by the end of the calendar year will be welcome news.
There was recognition that the sector now needs to rise positively to that challenge, to deliver and help meet these commitments and achieve its purpose.
A memorable quote from Jack Lee (of The Guinness Partnership) summed up the mood in the room:
"[The sector] have got more than we expected. Maybe not more than we hoped, but more than expected."
From a governance perspective, speakers stressed that these policy announcements present an opportunity to strengthen financial resilience and strategic planning. Board oversight remains essential, especially around how organisations respond to regulatory expectations and ensure alignment between strategy, purpose and delivery.
You can find our article of the 2025 Spending Review here.
Consumer Regulation
A dedicated panel reflected on the past 12 (and a bit) months of the new Consumer Standards regime. Karen Doran from the Regulator of Social Housing emphasised how the latest regulatory judgements are increasingly shining a light on the interconnection with governance and that the Consumer Standards are giving "another window on governance".
Key reflections included:
- Landlords achieving the highest gradings had already embedded strong assurance frameworks before the new Standards came into force.
- The Consumer Standards are a "proxy for a good landlord in that the Standards describe what a good landlord should be doing but that Landlords must be able to evidence this clearly.
- The information visible to Boards can differ widely between providers. Effective governance now demands Boards track delivery against strategic purpose.
- Fairness, respect, and genuine tenant influence must be woven into governance decision-making, including through robust engagement mechanisms.
- Governance should be outward-looking (looking to the stakeholder models of governance) incorporating voices from a wide range of stakeholders, not just internal perspectives.
- A clear link was drawn between gradings and how well organisations were able to evidence assurance in relation to key standards, especially around health and safety and stock condition.
- Learnings for governance including:
- Limited learning from complaints or previous failings, identified issues and complaints
- Misalignment between Board strategy and operational risk e.g. strategic objectives around growth and how these might impact service delivery
- Lack of visibility on how decisions traded off cost, value, and outcomes
These lessons feed directly into the new spending and policy context making strong governance even more vital.
Tenant Engagement and Learning from Complaints
The sessions on tenant engagement and learning from complaints were especially resonant, taking place close to the eighth anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy. As Chair Alistair Smyth reflected, tenant engagement has become even more pertinent post-Grenfell, and rooted in the Consumer Standards framework.
Key takeaways included:
- Engagement must be authentic, not tokenistic. Regulators want to see how tenants genuinely influence governance arrangements and decisions.
- Engagement can take many forms including scrutiny panels, customer committees, and customer board members.
- Complaints should not just sit within service functions they must be embedded in the assurance and risk framework.
- Organisations must interrogate what complaints data tells them, and whether lessons are embedded into improvements.
- There was also a timely reminder to reflect on how spending decisions (particularly in light of the Spending Review announcements) may impact frontline services and what that means for governance.
Final thoughts
Overall, there was a clear sense of momentum and renewed purpose within the sector. The interplay between regulation, risk, strategy and assurance is now more visible than ever and boards are under increasing pressure to demonstrate real grip and accountability.
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