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Andy Burnham’s first 100 days as prime minister have brought big promises on housing, living standards and public services. This event brings together economists, journalists and housing professionals to give their verdict on progress so far and prospects for the future. 

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    One hundred days. One Budget. One big question: is the new government delivering?

    On 3 November, social housing leaders will have the chance to take stock of Andy Burnham’s first 100 days as prime minister – and there could hardly be a more significant moment to do it.

    Just days after Chancellor John Healey delivers his first Budget, we’ll cut through the politics, promises and headlines to ask what the new government’s programme really means for housing and the communities we serve.

    What has changed? What hasn’t? And where is the government heading next?

    We’ll look beyond housing too, examining the wider economic and political picture – from the cost of living and household finances to public spending, growth and the pressures facing public services. Because what happens across Whitehall inevitably affects social landlords and residents.

    Expect challenge, insight and plenty of debate.

    Who you’ll hear from 

    • Keith Cooper, freelance investigative journalist, will give an independent verdict on Burnham’s first 100 days, examining the housing pledges, progress so far and what lies beyond the headlines
    • Steve Partridge, Head of Affordable Housing, Savills, will unpack what the Budget means for housing finances, investment and the future prospects of councils and housing associations
    • Dr Jessica Field, historian and activist writer, will place the government’s homelessness ambitions in a longer historical context, exploring the inherited challenges and structural obstacles to lasting change
    • Our expert panel brings together Lisa Birchall, Head of Policy, National Federation of ALMOs; Mushtaq Khan, Chief Executive, Housing Diversity Network; and Deborah Fenton, Executive Director of Homes, Communities and Environment, Basildon Borough Council, and ADoH Deputy Chair. They will offer insights from different perspectives across council housing, equality and inclusion and local delivery, asking whether housing is better off and what the sector needs next. 

    The event will be chaired by Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN, bringing his insight into housing policy, governance and regulation to guide the discussion and draw out what it all means for social landlords and residents. 

    Who should attend 

    Senior leaders and managers across housing associations, councils and ALMOs, particularly those working in housing strategy, finance, policy, governance, operations and leadership roles.

    The event will also be relevant to those responsible for understanding how wider economic and political developments affect their organisation, services and residents.

  • Our speakers

    Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN
    Alistair McIntosh is one of the social housing sector’s most respected and best known personalities. As founder and Chief Executive of HQN, he is regarded as one of the foremost advisers on governance and regulation. His hands-on approach sees Alistair leading on all HQN’s mock inspection exercises and chairing/speaking at conferences and events.
    Career highlights include setting up and running the National Federation of ALMOs, leading the popular consultation on the regulatory standards for housing and developing an approach to VfM that won praise from the housing minister.
    A regular contributor to the housing press, Alistair’s columns are known for their humorous, pointed and painfully accurate assessment of the state of social housing.

    Steve Partridge, Head of Affordable Housing, Savills  
    Steve is a senior leader and highly regarded national expert in housing finance with nearly 30 years’ experience in the public and private housing sectors in business planning, investment appraisal, financing and the development of new homes.

    Steve leads Savills’ work on building funding and delivery capacity with local authorities and housing associations, to help deliver new homes at scale, and also specialises in working to bring new sources of private investment and housing providers together to introduce new and innovative ways to bring private finance into the development of affordable housing. Steve also oversees a specialist consultancy team providing governance and regulatory support to housing providers, including preparation for inspection and regulatory turn around.

    He leads work on setting up new housing providers, raising capital for investment into non-profit and for-profit housing providers and helped traditional housing providers access these new sources of capital.

    Lisa Birchall, Head of Policy, National Federation of Almos 
    Lisa joined the NFA in 2017 and became the NFA Head of Policy in January 2024. She has worked in social housing research, policy and bid roles for over 15 years. Lisa’s research for the NFA has spanned many of the sector’s key issues including the tenant voice, homelessness, housing management, Universal Credit, claims harvesting, and the ALMO/local authority relationship. She leads on NFA policy work and supporting staff in the ALMO sector to network and share good practice.

    Mushtaq Khan, CEO, Housing Diversity Network 
    Mushtaq Khan is Chief Executive of the Housing Diversity Network (HDN), working across the housing sector to help organisations become more inclusive and better reflect the communities they serve. He has led HDN since 2020 and brings extensive experience from housing, regeneration and local government, including roles with large metropolitan councils such as Oldham and Lambeth.
    Mushtaq is focused on tackling inequality, strengthening community cohesion and supporting organisations to turn EDI commitments into practical action. His work includes helping landlords think about how they understand their communities, support residents through tension or unrest, and ensure leadership, services and decision-making are more representative and inclusive.

    Jessica Field, Historian and activist writer focused on social justice issues
    Dr Jessica Field is a social historian, writer and Research Affiliate at the University of Manchester, working on housing insecurity, tenant activism and homelessness. Her book, Eviction: A Social History of Rent (Verso, 2025), tells the history of working-class renting in Britain grounded in her own family’s fight against a mass eviction in Leeds. In 2022 she won the Dawn Foster Memorial Essay Prize for “Fighting for Cardboard City,” an article centred on the gendered burdens of frontline tenant activism. She is also the author of Lifelines: A History of Temporary Accommodation in England, 1834–2011 (Justlife, 2026), a major report arguing that poor conditions and discriminatory treatment in temporary accommodation are structurally produced.

    Keith Cooper, Freelance investigative journalist
    Keith Cooper is a freelance investigative journalist, researcher and writer specialising in housing, homelessness and mental health care. His work has been covered by national media and cited in newspaper editorials, parliament, official reports, medical journals and academic textbooks. He has worked as an editor and reporter on the Health Service Journal, Inside Housing and Local Government Chronicle magazines. He’s spent the last year investigating and writing about the increasing use of temporary accommodation, including the escalating use of out-of-area placements and the hidden impact of poor-quality housing on child development and the safety of babies. His work points out good practice as it exposes shortfalls in provision. Before training as a journalist, Keith worked as a diagnostic radiographer for the NHS.

    Deborah Fenton, ADoH Deputy Chair and Executive Director of Homes, Communities and Environment, Basildon Borough Council
    Deborah is the Executive Director of Homes, Communities and Environment at Basildon Council, bringing over 30 years of experience across both local government and registered providers. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in housing, community services and organisational leadership.

    With a particular interest in housing finance, Deborah has spoken at national conferences, sharing insights into the challenges facing local authority housing finances and the factors contributing to the sector’s financial pressures. Her motivation stems from a passion for sharing housing best practice and collaborating with like-minded leaders who are committed to delivering excellence for tenants while maintaining a strong commercial focus and ensuring long-term organisational sustainability.
  • Programme

    10:30am Welcome and introduction 

    Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN

    10:40am Reflections on Burnham’s first 100 days

    Keith Cooper, Freelance investigative journalist
    • The promises, the progress and the gaps behind the headlines 
    • How the government’s wider agenda could affect housing and the communities we serve 
    • An independent journalist’s verdict on the first 100 days and what comes next.

    11:10am What the budget means for housing 

    Steve Partridge, Head of Affordable Housing, Savills
    • What the Budget means for council and housing association business plans 
    • The prospects for funding new homes and investing in existing stock 
    • The financial pressures and opportunities shaping the sector’s next steps.

    11:45am Break 

    12:00pm Can Burnham meet his pledges on homelessness? 

    Jessica Field, Historian and activist writer focused on social justice issues
    • What previous governments’ promises tell us about today’s homelessness ambitions 
    • The inherited housing policies and structural barriers that could hold back progress 
    • What it will take to turn short-term pledges into lasting change.

    12:30pm Panel discussion: 100 days of Burnham: Is housing better off? 

    Lisa Birchall, Head of Policy, National Federation of Almos
    Mushtaq Khan, CEO, Housing Diversity Network
    Deborah Fenton, ADoH Deputy Chair and Executive Director of Homes, Communities and Environment, Basildon Borough Council

    1:00pm Q&A, discussion and wrap-up 

    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

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Dates



03 November 2026
10:30am - 1:30pm
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