BuildEast reunites!
Thanks to everyone who came to our meeting held at Orwell Housing Association in Ipswich on Friday, 19 July.
Attendees included reps from Chelmer Housing Partnership, Estuary Housing Association, B3Living, Orwell, Watford Community Housing, Havebury Housing Partnership and bpha. The meeting was chaired by Emma Palmer, Chief Executive of Eastlight Community Homes.
We were honoured to be joined by renowned guest speaker, Kwajo Tweneboa. Kwajo led a discussion on what we’re hearing about the new government and their thoughts on social housing, how to build relationships within the East with those who are invested in social housing, how we feel the mood is changing across the sector, the impact of campaigns, and trailblazing ideas.
Our second guest speaker was Sarah Finnegan, Head of Policy at National Housing Federation. Again, the new government was a prominent topic, with early engagement, sentiment towards social housing and, in particular, new supply discussed. The NHF’s and attendees’ reflection and position on devolution was also talked about, as well as addressing ‘stigma’ across the sector, and better connecting corporate messaging with reality.
Chair of BuildEast, Emma Palmer, said: “These meetings are a great place to test things out, talk through shared issues and learn from each other. Thanks to all who could make it.”