duration

Location
Virtual

Join us for a timely and in-depth event exploring the evolving landscape of social housing in Wales – from legislative reform to the realities of delivery on the ground.

This event is sponsored by Howells Solicitors.

  • Read more

    This event will bring together housing associations, local authorities, tenant representatives and sector experts to discuss the next stage in Wales’ social housing policy journey – including new legislation and the impact of the upcoming Senedd elections.

    Topics include:

    • The Senedd elections and the likely implications for social housing policy
    • Housing quality, repairs and WHQS
    • The future of resident engagement in Wales
    • Legal insight
    • Allocations, demand and supply challenges, including a look at the new Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act.

    Delegates can expect a blend of policy insight, practical case studies, and healthy debate as we look at the future of the social housing sector in Wales.

    What will be covered:

    We will look at some of the challenges facing the Welsh housing sector, including:

    • Meeting quality and repair standards
    • Listening, hearing and acting on the tenants’ voice
    • Implementation pressures
    • Planning and supply constraints
    • Balancing policy ambitions and resources.

    Who should attend?

    This event is designed for professionals across Welsh social housing who need to understand the changing policy, legislative and operational landscape in Wales.

    It will be particularly valuable for

    • Housing strategy and policy leads
    • Housing management professionals
    • Resident involvement teams
    • Asset and repairs leaders
    • Homelessness and housing options teams
    • Lettings and allocations staff
    • Legal or governance colleagues.

    It is also highly relevant for directors of housing, board members, chief executives and senior leaders looking to prepare their organisation for upcoming Welsh legislation, evolving resident expectations, housing quality requirements and future political change.

  • Our speakers

    Olivia Richards, Social Research and Policy Advisor, Hedyn
    Olivia is a Social Research and Policy Advisor at Hedyn, supporting evidence-led service improvement and strategic decision making through research and insight. Her work focuses on developing practical, research-informed recommendations to strengthen services and outcomes for customers.Olivia brings experience from clinical psychology and work with disability charities, which informs her interest in vulnerability and making services more accessible.

    Will Hayward, Journalist and Political Commentator
    Will Hayward is a multi-award winning investigative journalist based in Cardiff, Wales.

    He is a regular columnist for the Guardian and has written two critically acclaimed books. He is a respected expert on Welsh politics, social/public affairs and Welsh independence. His newsletter, The Will Hayward Newsletter, was named Best Politics Newsletter at the publisher awards.

    Will appears regularly as a commentator on Times Radio, the BBC and Sky News as well as writing a regular column for the Guardian on Welsh issues and politics.

    He is also an experienced speaker and trainer as well as previously lecturing in Public Administration at Cardiff University’s prestigious journalism school.

    Mark Woloshak, Senior Associate Solicitor | Head of Litigation – Dispute Resolution, Howells Solicitors
    Mark qualified in 1990 and has over 30 years of experience in dispute resolution.

    Mark is originally from London but gained his degree at the University of Hull and his law qualifications at Leeds Polytechnic. He worked for firms in London’s West End and Richmond before relocating to Devon, where he lived for ten years. He moved to Cardiff in 2013 and joined Howells in 2021 after heading the dispute resolution team at a national law firm.

    During his years of practice, Mark’s work has covered a wide range of cases, from small claim debt recovery actions to international litigation concerning the overseas assets of the former Soviet Union. It’s this variety that Mark most enjoys about working in dispute resolution.

    Mark has often appeared on radio and television, including as an expert on ITN and BBC1. He is also often quoted in the press.

    Mark strongly believes that good standard housing should be available to everyone. Until recently Mark was on the board of a leading Housing Association in South Wales. He retired, having reached the ninth anniversary of his appointment. Nine years is the maximum period that a board member can remain on the board of a Housing Association in  Wales. He has also been on the board of a residential home and was a committee member of the British Ukrainian Law Association.

    Haydn Cadogan, Solicitor – Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Howells Solicitors
    Haydn joined the Howells team in November 2024 as a solicitor within the Dispute Resolution department. He graduated from Cardiff University with a BSc in Earth and Environmental Science in 2018 before completing the Graduate Diploma in Law there in 2020.

    While working full-time as a paralegal at New Law Solicitors and subsequently at Hugh James, Haydn pursued his legal qualifications, qualifying as a solicitor in June 2024.

    Originally from Birmingham, Haydn has a deep-rooted connection to Wales, both through strong family ties and his unwavering support for the region. He is particularly passionate about sports, with a keen interest in rugby and cricket.

    Vic Cox, Director of Assets and Sustainability, Trivallis
    Vic Cox is the Director of Assets and Sustainability at Trivallis and has over 24 years’ experience across housing, property, asset management and regeneration in the public, community and private housing sectors.

    He has led asset management, investment and sustainability programmes across Wales and the UK, with a focus on long term asset strategy, decarbonisation, compliance and improving housing portfolios.

    Vic also spent five years working in the community housing sector in Australia, giving him international experience of housing management and regulation. Vic chairs the Community Housing Cymru Asset Management Members Community, working with housing associations across Wales on asset strategy, investment and sector collaboration. He is also a trustee of Cartrefi Cymru Co-operative. He holds an MBA and is a Chartered Manager Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

  • Our sponsors
    Howells Solicitors is proud to be the main sponsor of this key event focused on the future of social housing in Wales, reflecting our ongoing commitment to supporting the sector at every level.

    With experience advising housing associations, local authorities and sector bodies across Wales, we help organisations navigate increasingly complex legal and regulatory landscapes. From housing quality and repairs to disputes, governance and evolving legislation, we work alongside clients to deliver practical, commercially focused solutions.

    Our sponsorship of this event reinforces our commitment to the Welsh social housing sector, not just responding to change, but helping to shape it. We’re particularly pleased that our Dispute Resolution specialists, Mark Woloshak, Senior Associate Solicitor and Head of Litigation, and Haydn Cadogan, Solicitor, will be contributing their expertise, sharing insight drawn from experience across a wide range of litigation matters.

    We look forward to connecting with housing professionals from across Wales and continuing to support the sector through the challenges and opportunities ahead.
  • Programme

    10:00am Welcome and introductions

    Olivia Richards, Social Research and Policy Advisor, Hedyn

    10:10am Horizon scan – what to expect in 2026

    Will Hayward, Journalist
    • A timely look at the Welsh political and policy landscape and what it could mean for the housing sector in the months ahead
    • Reflections on possible election outcomes, shifting priorities and the implications for delivery, partnership working and public services
    • Insight into the wider direction of travel for housing in Wales, including the opportunities, tensions and uncertainties facing the sector.

    10:50am Asset management challenges and opportunities

    Vic Cox, Director of Assets and Sustainability, Trivallis
    • Ageing stock and increasing maintenance costs
    • Decarbonisation retrofit funding gap
    • Balancing new build and existing stock investment
    • Data quality and stock condition intelligence
    • Financial capacity and rent constraints
    • Skills shortages in retrofit and asset management.

    11:20am Break

    11:45am Resident voice in Wales

    Emma Nicholas, National Independent Tenant Voice Cymru
    • Background to the NITVC
    • Importance of resident voice in services – why was the organisation set up
    • What progress they have made in giving residents a voice in Wales.

    12:15pm Legal session

    Mark Woloshak, Senior Associate Solicitor and Head of Litigation, Howells Solicitors
    Haydn Cadogan, Solicitor – Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Howells Solicitors
    • Mark and Haydn will provide a legal perspective covering key areas including –
      • Awaab’s Law
      • The Building Safety (Wales) Act
      • Emerging findings from the Grenfell enquiry

    12:45pm Research on no access and preparing for Awaabs’ Law

    Lydia Dlaboha, Deputy CEO, HQN

    1:15pm Chair’s closing Q&A

    1:30pm Close

  • Cancellations and substitutions

    If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

    Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

    If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

    Cancellations must be made in writing and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.

  • Price and booking

    Bookings are closed for this event.

    If you experience any issues when submitting your booking, please email [email protected] with the name and date of the session along with the delegate name(s), email address(es) and job title(s) and we'll process the booking for you.

Dates



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