Westminster Social Policy Forum

This conference will be an opportunity to discuss the next steps for tackling homelessness in England and the key issues for carrying through the Government’s homelessness policy.

Delegates will discuss the ongoing implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act including the challenges facing local and public authorities in meeting their statutory duties, and the way forward for partnership working.

They will also assess the impact and early indicators from the Housing First pilot schemes rolling out in Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands.

Further sessions look at the Rough Sleeping Strategy, along with the implications for local authorities and other stakeholders - with councils due to publish revised homelessness and rough sleeping strategies by winter 2019 as part of the delivery plan.

We also expect discussion on priorities for the Rough Sleeping Initiative Fund with the bidding round for the further £11m launched in December, and opportunities arising from the launch of the Capital Letters Programme which 11 London Boroughs have signed up for with the aim of encouraging councils to share resources and collaborate, including in the area of securing accommodation for homeless people.

The agenda also includes a session on the approach being taken in Scotland to ending homelessness - looking at what can be learnt from the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, which includes a focus on prevention, joining up resources, reducing response times and fostering a person-centred approach.

This timely seminar will discuss the future for building regulations in England, and provide an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to assess the most effective ways forward for improving the safety and standards of buildings.

Delegates will discuss the Government’s recently published implementation plan which aims to support the development of a more effective regulatory and accountability framework as called for by the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt.

The report also commits to taking forward all the recommendations of the review, and delegates will discuss priorities and challenges for implementation and implications for local authorities, residents, the construction industry and other key stakeholders.

The seminar will provide an opportunity to discuss the work of the Industry Safety Steering Group and updates from the Government’s Building Safety Programme, as well as what more should be done to give residents a greater say, put in place an effective testing and inspection regime, and create a clearer record of information for high-rise residential buildings.

We also expect discussion on the ban on combustible materials announced by the Government, including its scope, or whether it should also apply to non-residential buildings including hospitals, residential homes, student accommodation and hotels and buildings under 18 metres tall as suggested by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

The agenda also looks at the implementation and compliance issues for building firms, as well as what will be needed to bring about the necessary changes to business culture and regulatory oversight in the building sector.

This seminar will discuss the future for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) following the Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships Review which sets out plans to reform accountability and boost performance, and the recently released National Local Growth Assurance Framework.

We expect discussion on the guidance set out in the framework for local growth funding, and its mandatory governance, accountability and transparency requirements for LEPs - with an aim to have new Local Assurance Frameworks in place by April 2019.

Sessions will consider the challenges for reviewing geographical boundaries to remove overlaps and find geographical areas which best reflect functional economic activity, as well as for improving co-operation across boundaries.

They will also discuss what more can be done to improve transparency and board diversity with the review calling for women to make up at least one third of LEP boards by 2020 and equal representation by 2023.

The seminar comes with the Government due to agree the first Local Industrial Strategies by March 2019 - and announcing the extension of Sector Deal discussions this year - with the aim of boosting productivity, employment, innovation and skills.

Following calls from Metro Mayors for devolved control over the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, it will provide an opportunity to assess the future for regional funding in England, the role of LEPs in driving investment and how best to build on city and growth deals, build on local strengths and align strategies with regional and national priorities.

This timely seminar will assess next steps for developing the Cambridge - Milton Keynes - Oxford Corridor.

The seminar takes place following the announcement that Corridor B has been chosen for the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway to be broadly aligned with the proposed East-West rail route, and it will be an opportunity for delegates to discuss the implications for linking new infrastructure to jobs, education, skills and services, as well as discussing environmental concerns.

It will also be an opportunity to examine recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) Partnering for Prosperity report - which recommended the provision of new East-West transport links - and considers further steps that might be taken to improve transport links in the area, and the NIC’s National Infrastructure Assessment, which includes recommendations for £43bn of long-term transport funding for regional cities and calls on Metro Mayors and city leaders to develop integrated strategies for transport, employment and housing.

Delegates will also discuss the future for regional governance - focusing on the role for local authorities, LEPs and combined authorities - and challenges for improving collaboration between key stakeholders in the region.

Further planned sessions will look at what more might be done to underpin economic growth - including priorities for meeting skills needs across key sectors - as well as examining opportunities for extending the Corridor to further areas.

This timely seminar will assess the next steps for house building and planning policy in England.

It follows the recent publication of the final report of Sir Oliver Letwin’s Independent Review recommending measures to tackle barriers to building. These include a requirement for those developing large sites in areas of high demand to provide a diversity of offerings, and the establishment of a National Expert Committee to advise local authorities on the interpretation of diversity requirements for large sites and arbitrate disagreements between local authorities and developers.

It also follows recent budget announcements including an extra £500m for the Housing Infrastructure Fund, up to £1bn of British Business Bank lending to SME housebuilders, and a consultation on new permitted development rights to convert commercial properties to homes and increase upward extensions.

The seminar also comes as the Government announces investment in a £1.3bn Land Assembly Fund and a £630 million Small Sites Fund to overcome barriers to building and release land to deliver 300,000 new homes a year by the mid 2020s, and follows the announcement from the Prime Minister of £2bn in new funding to housing associations for delivering tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes.

Delegates will discuss the future for planning policy and potential ways to encourage best use of land in light of the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which focuses on the building of better-designed homes in areas where they are needed. The Framework includes new environmental protection measures such as placing greater importance on air quality when deciding development proposals, and provides a new annual measurement of housing delivery which all councils will be required to take by from this month - the Housing Delivery Test.

Sessions will also focus on linking infrastructure to new development, and housing development to infrastructure and economic growth.

This conference will assess the future for the Midlands Engine, bringing together policymakers with key stakeholders from across the region.

Delegates will discuss the progress of the second devolution deal between the Government and the West Midlands Combined Authority and the future for governance in the region.

The seminar follows budget announcements including a refreshed Midlands Engine Strategy to be published next year, up to £20m for the West Midlands Combined Authority to fund a UK Mobility Data Institute to collect, process and analyse transport data generated by new mobility technologies, up to £70m to construct the national element of the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, £8.5m to the Coventry City of Culture, and £165m investment to unlock 5,000 new homes after the Commonwealth Games.

The agenda also looks at priorities for investment in the context of the £250m Midlands Engine Investment Fund, and support committed by the Government for a Midlands housing delivery taskforce, a construction skills training scheme and an allocation from the Transforming Cities fund to be spent on local intra-city transport priorities.

Attendees will consider the next steps for transport infrastructure, as Midlands Connect seeks assurances that they will have an active role in the Government’s root and branch review of rail, and as the Phase 2b Hybrid Bill is delayed by twelve months.

In the context of record numbers of foreign direct investment projects in the past decade - and Government calls for West Midlands businesses to embrace export opportunities, further sessions will discuss the opportunities for attracting wider investment and fostering trade, as well as encouraging innovation, digital connectivity and 5G, university collaboration, and supporting the region’s manufacturing sector to underpin the Engine’s success.