As I prepare to head up to Liverpool for this year’s Labour Party conference in a couple of weeks time, I can’t help but reflect on how much difference a year can make. Last time, housing was high up on the agenda, but the atmosphere was more cautious than celebratory. There was plenty of talk about the importance of investing in social housing, but the big questions of how to fund and deliver it remained. Optimism was tempered with realism, given the challenges faced by social landlords.