duration

Location
Virtual

Bringing together practitioners, policymakers and sector leaders, this event explores the realities of the social housing allocations system and what needs to change to address the housing and homelessness crisis.

  • Read more

    Crisis CEO Matt Downie recently claimed you can now be “too poor” for social housing and has called for the overhaul of the allocations system in England.

    There is no doubt local authorities and housing associations are under pressure to meet rising demand, as waiting lists continue to grow.

    But research from Crisis also highlights how social housing landlords are having to make ever more complex decisions about who can access scarce social homes, often balancing urgent housing need with tenancy sustainability, affordability and local policy priorities.

    As housing need becomes more complex and the shortage of homes for social rent deepens, allocation policies are evolving. Housing providers are introducing new approaches to prioritisation, affordability checks and eligibility, while also grappling with how to ensure fair access for those most in need.

    This event takes a practical look at how allocations systems are changing and what the future might look like for the sector. And, we’ll consider the potential impact of local government reorganisation.

    Key sessions include:

    • The current pressures on social housing allocations, including demand, supply shortages and changing applicant needs
    • Key findings from the recent Crisis research on how allocations policies are evolving across England
    • The impact of affordability assessments and welfare reform on access to social housing
    • How councils and housing associations are balancing fairness, local priorities and tenancy sustainability
    • Whether current allocation systems are effectively supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
    • The role of partnership working between local authorities and housing associations in improving outcomes
    • How government policy could shape the future of allocations
    • The potential impact of local government reorganisation on allocations.

    Who should attend?

    Getting allocations right is “critical” to – addressing homelessness, supporting the most vulnerable and building sustainable communities.  Councils and housing providers have a key role to play.

    This event is essential for everyone working in, or responsible for, allocations and lettings – whether its in operations or strategy and policy.

  • Our speakers

    Dawn Wightman, HQN Associate
    Dawn is an accomplished social housing professional with over 35 years’ experience across the sector including more than a decade operating at director level. Her career spans the full breadth of housing services, with extensive expertise in cross-tenure management, income collection, allocations, community investment, estate services and specialist housing provision.

     

    She brings a deep, practical understanding of how housing services operate at scale and how they can be reshaped to better serve customers and communities.

    Tim Brown, HQN Associate
    Tim has extensive knowledge of social housing allocations. He played a major role in the 1990s in the development of what is now referred to as choice-based lettings. Subsequently he has been involved in the review and evaluation of over 30 allocations schemes in the UK. He has also contributed to government research as well as co-producing good practice guides for the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A number of governments in Western Europe have commissioned Tim to review allocations eg France, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden.
    He currently produces HQN’s allocations toolkit which is updated monthly.

    Jasmine Basran, Head of Policy & Campaigns, Crisis
    Jasmine is the Head of Policy and Campaigns at Crisis, a national charity dedicated to ending homelessness. Her background spans roles across the charity and consumer sectors, with expertise in influencing legislation, shaping public debate and improving support for people in vulnerable situations.

    Jasmine holds a double Masters degree in international public policy design and financing and is a Board Trustee at Single Homeless Project.

    Ben Sanders, Senior Research and Evaluation Officer, Crisis
    Ben has worked in the sector for over 10 years in a research capacity. He has led and overseen numerous Crisis research projects including the recent ‘Moving the deckchairs’ allocations project in which he conducted and managed the fieldwork.

    The use of peer research methods and involving those with lived experience in projects is a feature of his work. This was put to good effect with the mystery shopping research, Turned Away, which provided the evidence base for legalisation reform in England and what became the Homelessness Reduction Act.

    Andrew Rowe, Assistant Director for Housing, North Yorkshire Council
    Andrew is a senior housing professional with over 30 years’ experience in a wide variety of roles. In his current role as Assistant Director for Housing for the new North Yorkshire Council he is leading on the convergence of the seven former District Council housing services into one. This work includes bringing together three former landlord services into one to form a new landlord of 8500 homes as well as the convergence of the new Councils strategic, homelessness and regulatory functions.

    Andrew graduated from De Montfort University in 1999 with an MSC in Housing. Prior to Local Government Reorganisation he was Head of Housing at Scarborough Borough Council and before that worked for Home Group.

    Matty Hadfield, Housing Policy Advisor, London Assembly Housing Committee
    Matty has worked as a Policy Advisor for the London Assembly Housing Committee for just over 2 years and has led investigations on a range of housing issues in London, including community-led housing, affordable housing, rough sleeping, and housing for women leaving prison. She led the allocations in social housing investigation in 2025-26, which was the largest inquiry of the Assembly year.

    The London Assembly Housing Committee’s work is to represent the voices of Londoners and scrutinise the Mayor of London. Matty is passionate about designing investigations that represent the diverse voice of Londoners and amplify the views of underrepresented groups.

    Elaine Kerr, Assessment Manager, Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman
    Elaine is an Assessment Manager at LGSCO, having been an Investigator for over 5 years prior. As an Investigator, she specialised in housing complaints, including joint investigations with the Housing Ombudsman Service. Before joining LGSCO, Elaine worked at a City Council in various housing roles, including resettlement and housing options.

    Michael Veryard, Investigator, Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman
    Michael is an investigator at LGSCO. Before joining LGSCO he had a career spanning over 35 years working in various local authorities covering all aspects of the housing service including allocations and homelessness.
  • Programme

    9:30am Welcome and introductions

    Dawn Wightman, HQN Associate

    9:40am ‘Moving the deckchairs’ – what the Crisis research on allocations tells us

    Jasmine Basran, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Crisis
    Ben Sanders, Senior Research and Evaluation Officer, Crisis
    • What the latest Crisis research reveals about the pressures shaping social housing allocations in England
    • How affordability, support needs and supply shortages are influencing access to social housing for households in greatest need
    • The policy and practice changes that could help create a fairer, more effective allocations system.

    10:10am ‘Barriers at Every Turn’ – overcoming London’s unfair allocations system

    Matty Hadfield, Housing Policy Advisor, London Assembly Housing Committee
    • The allocations situation in London
    • The key findings and recommendations of the ‘Barriers at Every Turn’ research.

    10:40am A policy overview

    Tim Brown, HQN Associate
    • Current pressures shaping social housing allocations
    • Government review and wider policy changes
    • Practical steps for local allocations and lettings policies.

    11:10am Break

    11:25am Local government reorganisation and how this will affect allocations

    Andrew Rowe, Assistant Director for Housing, North Yorkshire Council

    11:55am Allocations – the Local Government Ombudsman’s view

    Elaine Kerr, Assessment Manager, Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman
    Michael Veryard, Investigator, Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman
    • The role of LGSCO in regard to allocations
    • Casework examples and how decisions are reached
    • The LGSCO research on allocations.

    12:25pm Q&A and discussion

    12:55pm Wrap-up

    Dawn Wightman, HQN Associate

    1:00pm 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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