Fresh back from the first ever Future Foundations Conference, organised by Housing Executive Magazine and held on 6th October at the Toughsheet Stadiumin Bolton, Head of Frameworx Paul Smith, comments:
“As sponsors of the inaugural awards last year, we were delighted to be invited back to this year’s event as headline sponsors. As well as the awards, the event also included a conference where I was delighted to be invited to be part of the opening panel session ‘Awaab’s Law – one year on: what providers need to know next’.
“Chaired by magazine editor Harry Palmer, alongside panellists Dot Pawlowski
(Trowers & Hamlin) and Chris Cottrell (Made Tech), we celebrated the positive progress the sector has made on damp and mould, with dedicated response teams, proactive inspections, and clearer tenant communications. But at the same time, there was a stark warning about upcoming regulatory pressures with Phase Two of Awaab’s Law expanding to cover excess heat, excess cold, and fall risks.
“Key operational challenges face housing providers, with ongoing resource and budget constraints, inflexible maintenance systems that require modern updates to ensure hazards are accurately triaged and addressed before escalation and the legal Risks of injunction, which remain high for landlords failing to act swiftly on
reported hazards.
“The evening then concentrated on celebrating the achievements of the sector across 12 categories: Best Retrofit Initiative, Best Decarbonisation Approach, Best Use of AI, Best Repairs & Maintenance Team, Partnership of the Year, Best Social Value Project, Women in Social Housing Award, Housing Association of the Year,
Homelessness Project of the Year, Rising Star/Best Trainee Award, Best Use of Data & Technology, and Best Affordable Housing Development.
“As headline sponsors, we were proud to be able to deliver the opening speech, where I wanted to remind everyone in the room that housing’s greatest asset is its people working together with a shared purpose. I was also invited to present
the Best Social Value Project award to the worthy winner, Unity Homes.
“Even though they are a small housing provider, they have a big impact on their communities. They were recognised for the number of training, support and advice initiatives delivered to help give their residents the opportunity to thrive. We were particularly proud to be able to offer an additional surprise donation of £3,000 from our social value fund to help Unity further their efforts in supporting their community.
“Congratulations NHBC x Keepmoat Training Hub for being Highly Commended in the Social Value category and to all the other winners, highly commended and commended on the night.”
Read the full report on the event and awards: https://www.housingexecutive.co.uk/the-housing-executive-awards-2026-the-winners-revealed/