On 22nd October, we hosted 60 of our key partners at University College Birmingham (UCB) for an evening of discussion and debate on ‘Decency and Decarbonisation’ and how we improve the region’s homes. Alongside the speeches and conversations, our delegates were treated to a fabulous evening of hospitality thanks to the fantastic work of UCB’s Further Education students who were working their first formal event of the term. Restaurant at UCB is a renowned Centre of Excellence for the catering and hospitality sector.
The event was made possible thanks to the support of our partners, Unity Trust Bank, who sponsored the evening. We were delighted to welcome Colin Fyfe (Chief Executive, Unity Trust Bank) who highlighted some of the Bank’s key work in supporting the financing of the decarbonisation agenda across the region and beyond.
On the anniversary of the publication of the Centre’s Social Housing Quality Fund Evaluation and with the introduction of Awaab’s Law, the duty on landlords to act swiftly on hazards such as damp and mould has brought a renewed focus on housing decency. At the same time, the national drive to reach net zero requires substantial investment in retrofitting and energy efficiency improvements across existing stock. These challenges cannot be tackled in isolation: the agenda must balance safety, health, affordability, and sustainability.
The evening provided a space for our delegates to consider how the region can take a joined-up approach, ensuring compliance with new legal duties, securing funding and investment, and leveraging innovation in housing and construction. By strengthening collaboration across local authorities, housing associations, developers, and central government, we can deliver homes that are decent, safe, and low-carbon – improving wellbeing and quality of life, and supporting public health, safety and climate goals.
We were delighted to welcome Eddie Hughes as our keynote speaker, who was interviewed in a fireside chat format by Alan Fraser (Member of our Housing and Communities Board and Associate Director, Church Development Agency). Eddie, having spent his pre-Parliament career working in the construction, management, and maintenance of housing, was perhaps an obvious choice for a role in the Ministry for Housing (MHCLG), once elected as an MP. He spent two and a half years in the department, firstly as the Department Whip and then as a Housing Minister, introducing legislation ranging from Building Safety to new Building Regs, and, as Net Zero Minister, representing the Government at COP26.
We also heard from Dr Halima Sacranie (Director of Housing Research, CNM) who shared some of her reflections on the journey ‘From Decent Homes to Decent Neighbourhoods: Accountability in the Quality of Place’ and Kai Jackson (TPAS Associate and Member of CNM’s Housing and Communities Leadership Board) who spoke so eloquently about the importance of ‘Embedding Inclusion and Meaningful Engagement in Housing Quality and Retrofit’.
If you and your organisation are not yet members of our Reimagining the Region, please contact Chris Smith (Founder and CEO – chris@thenewmidlands.org.uk) for more information. Our membership rates start from £450 + VAT for 1-10 employee organisations, £1,100 + VAT for 11-50 staff and £1,700 + VAT for 51 staff and above.
Visit our image gallery to view photographs from this event or to learn more about our events programme
