Inside Housing Management Podcast

In this episode of the Inside Housing Management Podcast, Anna Highfield is joined by former housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway and Inside Housing editor Martin Hilditch to discuss the Autumn Budget, which the government announced on 28 October.We also explore the Social Housing Bill which is currently working its way through the various parliamentary stages – including what it means for housing management professionals, how it looks set to impact homelessness provision, and what impact it could have for survivors of domestic abuse. Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

We speak to Michelle Rodgers, director for housing and communities at Melton Borough Council, to find out how the Leicestershire-based landlord got its C1 grading.Hosts Anna Highfield and Katharine Swindells also discuss downsizing – including why there are so many more people who want to downsize than are able to, what the barriers to downsizing are, and how providers can better incentivise and enable people to downsize.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Anna Highfield is joined by former housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway and Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign director Nic Bliss to discuss the Competence and Conduct Standard, which came into force on 1 October.We talk about whether the standard will produce the culture changes needed to address social housing stigma, if tenants have been involved enough in producing codes of conduct, the most common mistakes landlords make regarding the standard, whether front-facing staff handle the workload pressures of the qualification requirements, and – crucially – whether the standard will prevent “another Grenfell” from happening.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

We discuss the results of our investigation into assaults on housing staff, which found that assaults rose by 16% between 2024 and 2025.Anna Highfield is joined by Inside Housing editor Martin Hilditch to discuss the nuance behind the numbers – including how changes to reporting techniques are encouraging more staff to come forward about assaults, how the housing crisis is fuelling “frustration” and “aggression”, and how one region in particular saw more assaults than any other.The second part of the podcast features a discussion about how to achieve cohesion between housing teams, with Inside Housing Management Agony Aunt Kelly Street. She offers some useful advice for managers and leaders based on her years of experience in the sector and her current role as head of communities – South at Places for People.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Our new insights and regulation advisor, Richard Blakeway, discusses Awaab’s Law Phase 2 with regular hosts Anna Highfield and Katharine Swindells.We talk about the latest guidance from the government, including how the sector has responded and which changes landlords should be most aware of, as well as covering lessons learned from Phase 1, takeaways from the government’s ‘test and learn’ approach, the most challenging hazards in Phase 2, and whether temporary accommodation is about to become a huge headache for social landlords. Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Anna Highfield and Katharine Swindells explore housing management’s burnout problem and what we can do about it.We speak to CIH president Julie Haydon about whether burnout has always been a problem in housing management, why it’s getting worse, and how she is encouraging organisations to prioritise the idea of “thriving, not just surviving” as part of her ‘Rooted in Resilience’ campaign.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

In this episode of the Inside Housing Management Podcast, Anna Highfield, editor of Inside Housing Management, and Katharine Swindells, features editor at Inside Housing, discuss the problem of overheating homes, and what housing association A2Dominion has been doing to support residents during the recent hot weather.We also speak to Ellie Brown, news reporter at Inside Housing, about a landmark judgment that could change the way ‘no access’ cases are dealt with, and separately discuss the growing problem of e-bike fires.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Hosts Anna Highfield and Katharine Swindells discuss the winners of the Inside Housing Management 30 initiative.We also speak to Martin Hilditch, editor of our sister publication Inside Housing, to hear his top takeaways from the Local Government Association (LGA) annual conference, which took place from 7-9 July. During the interview, Mr Hilditch gave us a live demonstration of an AI chatbot that was showcased at the conference.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Anna Highfield and Katharine Swindells discuss the incoming Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) and whether the sector is ready for the change. We hear from Ben Pumphrey, partner and data governance specialist at law firm Anthony Collins, and Sue Ramsden, policy leader at the National Housing Federation, about how landlords should be preparing for STAIRs – and where things might go wrong in practice.We also speak to Susan Noone, head of people at housing association Vivid, about a new mandatory customer skills credential that the organisation is rolling out for all staff, and what they hope to achieve with it.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Katharine Swindells and James Riding discuss the sector’s changing approach to resident engagement and whether it’s working.We hear from Nic Bliss, director of the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign, about the campaign’s latest survey and what it tells us about resident engagement in 2026.We also speak to Cynthia Knight, scheme manager at Midlands-based housing association Stonewater, about an innovative food-based resident engagement project that she spearheaded for South Asian residents.Subscribe to Inside Housing Management by clicking here.The Inside Housing Management Podcast is produced by Lucy Brown.Music credits: Motivate by Wavecont (https://protunes.net/) | Promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0