In Focus – Page 2
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In Focus‘I went back into the workplace with a new lens’: Amplius’ CEO Julie Doyle explains how her grandson’s disability shaped her vision
Doyle talks about post-merger integration, her mission to create accessible housing and the importance of supporting families with disabled children. Alex Funk reports
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In FocusKey takeaways from Housing Today Live and the Building the Future Conference 2025
Building’s flagship conference returned this year, bigger and better than ever, covering all things housing, infrastructure and development. From three keynotes and 10 panels, here are the main issues noted by our reporters
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In FocusLabour conference 2025: Housing secretary puts style over substance while Starmer takes aim at Reform
The government’s announcement about new towns and the new housing secretary’s Trump-esque stylings put housing at the heart of the agenda at Labour’s conference in Liverpool. But there was little in the way of detail to back Steve Reed’s ‘build, baby, build’ slogan
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In FocusRevealed: Top 30 Housing Champions 2025
Our list celebrates those housing professionals who are going above and beyond in their day-to-day roles to improve services for residents
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In FocusBriefing: How private landlord giant Grainger is preparing to ride the build-to-rent wave
Grainger has spent the past few years pivoting towards build-to-rent to take advantage of the burgeoning living markets sector. As the firm registers as a REIT in order to attract investment, chief executive Helen Gordon explains her strategy
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In FocusCould the shadow of Grenfell trigger more Ardmore-style collapses of housing contractors?
The contractor’s legacy housing business went into administration due to the weight of building safety issues on its books. Joey Gardiner asks whether we are likely to see other companies suffer the same fate
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In FocusKey takeaways and talking points from the Housing Community Summit 2025
From the departure of Rayner and the rise of Reform, to boosting skills, new funding models and decent homes, attendees at this year’s Housing Community Summit were not short of topics to talk about. Here are the key talking points from Liverpool
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In FocusWhat does the appointment of Steve Reed as new housing secretary mean for the sector?
Angela Rayner’s replacement held the shadow housing brief in 2021 and now he returns to the role in government. But although he has promised to ‘build, baby, build’, Reed lacks the influence on Keir Starmer that his predecessor had
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In FocusThe Reform party conference: what a Farage government would mean for housing, investment and ‘net-stupid-zero’
Despite being largely overshadowed by the resignation of Angela Rayner, the two-day event in Birmingham showed a party which is evolving from a protest group into an organisation that is seriously preparing for government. Tom Lowe looks at what a country led by Nigel Farage would mean for housing
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In Focus‘Not just transactions’: Richard Blakeway explains how he wants to work with the sector to ensure complaints are a catalyst for real change
The Housing Ombudsman talks to Carl Brown about his drive for transparency and shared learning and tackling the ‘twin demons of denial and deflection’ in the sector.
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In FocusThe plan to cut the gateway 2 backlog: Key points from Tuesday’s parliamentary hearings on the BSR
This week saw an unusual amount of scrutiny of the Building Safety Regulator, with committees in both the Commons and the Lords examining the issue. Daniel Gayne watched the debates to find out where the troubled institution is headed
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In FocusThe housing sector was delighted with the spending review – but lack of transport investment could scupper its delivery in London
After setting out a vision for development centred on public transit links, the mayor of London came out of the spending review empty handed. Can London build 88,000 homes a year without new infrastructure? Daniel Gayne reports.
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In FocusWho is Amy Rees? Everything you need to know about new Homes England chief
MHCLG’s pick to lead the government’s delivery agency came out of left field. So what do we know about the new quango boss? And what does her appointment tell us about Homes England’s future?
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In FocusAhead of a £1.5bn development, Populo Living shares its plan to boost regeneration in Newham
In 2018, a new mayor tasked Newham’s housing company with building more affordable homes. Seven years later, its getting ready for its biggest scheme yet. Daniel Gayne headed east to find out more.
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In FocusNansledan: can design codes and long-term stewardship deliver better housing?
Mary Richardson visits Nansledan, the Duchy of Cornwall’s urban extension to Newquay. While its traditional architecture divides opinion, she finds that the project raises important questions about planning and designing new housing at scale
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In Focus‘The sector now feels a sense of responsibility to play its part’ – Gavin Smart on the blizzard of policies announced in the past few weeks
The Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive reflects on the sector’s to-do list for the next few months. Carl Brown reports
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In Focus‘We brought Livv back from the brink of destruction’…Léann Hearne on personal and professional challenges and what comes next
The CEO of Livv Group announced in April that she was stepping down in response to a series of “personal challenges” involving her family. She tells Matilda Battersby about her journey
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In FocusIs the government’s Building Safety Regulator shake-up enough to fix the delays?
The government has promised to speed up approvals for high-rise residential schemes which have been languishing for up to a year in the new building safety regime. With patience running out and costs mounting, Tom Lowe speaks to the people caught up in the delays
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In FocusBriefing: Why Durkan is eyeing rapid expansion through social housing stock upgrades
Contractor and housebuilder Durkan is pivoting towards improving existing stock for social landlords. Dan Germann, MD of its rebranded Durkan Regen business, explains his plans to grow the asset regeneration arm to the tune of £100m
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In Focus‘Simply no alternative for many home purchases’: The sector group hoping Rayner doesn't leave shared ownership out in the cold
The government did not mention shared ownership in its spending review, nor did it feature in the Labour manifesto. Jo Short, who is leading a social landlord-backed campaign to raise awarness about the tenure, tells Matilda Battersby why it is needed more than ever