Housing providers are undergoing a period of transformation, in both a sector-wide and operational sense. The sector is under pressure from a number of directions, whilst simultaneously undergoing some of the biggest cultural and regulatory shifts seen for a number of years. The rolling expansion of Awaab’s Law, the sectors frontline role in the fight against homelessness, skills shortage restricting housebuilding across the country and more are all points of tension that the social housing sector operates directly at the centre of.
On Tuesday 6 October, Housing Executive is bringing leaders, practitioners and innovators from across the sector together in Bolton for Future Foundations 2026 – a new one-day conference focused on the challenges that matter most to housing providers. The conference will host a number of interactive speaker panels, breaking down some of the biggest conversations in housing today. These panels are split amongst three zones, and we’re going to delve into some of the vital conversations taking place in October in Bolton.
You can secure your tickets, free for public sector organisations on the Housing Executive website.
Zone One: Governance & Resilience
For housing leaders navigating an increasingly demanding regulatory, financial and reputational environment, what will Future Foundations be asking?
Awaab’s Law: One Year On- The biggest alignment of health and housing in the last ten years, Awaab’s Law has fundamentally changed the housing landscape. But damp & mould are not the only hazards that will be brought under the regulations strict timeframes, and Future Foundations will be taking place just a few weeks before the implementation of phase two. What have providers learnt since the implementation of the law, and how can they ensure success moving forwards?
Future Proofing Social Housing for an Ageing Britain- The UK’s population is steadily growing older. Slowing birth rates combined with more people living for longer means that there is a serious demographic shift underway across the country, a shift that will reshape not just the population but the homes it needs. As economic factors mean home ownership is further out of reach for more and more households, the social housing sector must begin to make preparations now to cater for an entirely changed population of the future.
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Funding the Future: Innovation Within Finance- Financial pressure is one of the main burdens for the sector today. Caught between expanding housing stock and ensuring existing homes are equipped to the latest standards, providers are having to make consistently challenging decisions. Senior finance professionals will take to the stage at Future Foundations in order to discuss how providers can do more with less.
Beyond Compliance: Social Purpose Under Pressure- Social value has gone from a “nice to have” to being intertwined with the mission of the social housing sector. In a landscape of consistent pressure, how can landlords ensure that compliance can be treated as the floor rather than the ceiling, and provide social benefits to their communities as well as bricks and mortar?
Zone Two: Tech, Data & Innovation
In Zone 2, we are taking a practical look at why transformation succeeds and why it so often doesn’t. Sessions include:
The SME advantage: Why the Best Tech for Housing Might Not Be the Biggest Name- A panel discussing the advantages of engaging with smaller, purpose-built SME’s rather than relying solely on established vendors who may be seen as more “safe”. Specialist SME’s bring agility, depth and responsiveness that in many cases can be missing with larger solutions, able to secure a genuine partnership.
Stop Piloting, Start Doing: AI, IoT and Visualisation- Delving into the common phenomenon of “pilot paralysis” in the social housing sector, and asking why so many organisations seem unwilling to pull the trigger on technologies that have yielded positive results in the test phase. A panel framed around specific use cases that are genuinely mature, predictive repairs, energy monitoring, tenancy sustainment analytics, and asking whether the sector is losing out on innovative solutions due a risk-averse culture.
The Human Factor: Technology That Frees Your People Rather Than Replaces Them- An especially relevant discussion given the fears surrounding widespread AI uptake, this panel will focus on the potential for AI to optimise human connection in social housing rather than replace it. Discussions would centre around the way that AI can free professionals from time-consuming tasks and allow them to prioritise resident-facing work that relies on human judgement.
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Your Data Is the Problem, And You Already Know It- Discussing the elephant in the room when it comes to transformation ambitions in the sector, this panel will directly discuss the common data problems that underpin AI, analytics, and integration projects that underdeliver. What does good data actually look like? How have organisations tackled it? What can providers actually start doing now rather than waiting for a perfect data estate?
Zone Three: People, Homes & Communities
Division Today: How to Cultivate Communities- Social and political tension has been on the rise in the UK, with housing at the centre of many of the arguments dividing communities across the country. Social housing’s diverse resident base and social mission places providers in a unique position for communities who in many cases are experiencing the consequences of this division first hand. The panel will explore the direct impact of these cultural tensions on residents today and steps providers can take to promote pride of place and connection between residents.
Homelessness in 2026: why prevention must come first- A panel focused on the success of the housing first strategy abroad and in a pilot capacity in the UK, with an insight into how the homelessness crisis has grown to the severity it has today. The talk will seek to challenge our current ideas surrounding homelessness and how to reduce it, and analyse key examples of rapid reductions in homelessness from both the UK and around the world.
The Resident’s Perspective: How do We Rebuild Trust?- A talk led by social housing residents, discussing their experiences as a social housing tenant and building an open dialogue between residents and providers aimed at rebuilding trust between tenants and the professionals who govern their homes. The talk will focus on common miscommunication and points of tension between tenants and their landlords, and how these solutions can be embedded culturally within associations.
The Skills Gap: Building the Workforce of Tomorrow- A conversation focused on the growing pressure of the construction skills gap, and a realistic analysis of the obstacle it poses to turning the tide on our housing crisis. Housing development will not increase by the scale we need without a healthy flow of professionals, and encouraging and retaining new talent is a priority in order to turn the tide on the housing crisis.
You can find all of the speakers chairing our panels, as well as the link to tickets and full event details at the Housing Executive website, All panels taking place at Future Foundations will be followed by a dedicated networking time slot, when delegates and speakers can come together to share more informal discussions and lay the groundwork for further partnerships.
