Northern Housing Festival - CIH is back in town

If you mention the word ‘Harrogate’ to some CIH members, it is likely to induce a faraway gaze and a wistful smile. Memories of when the annual conference was hosted by this revered Yorkshire town are held in an almost legendary regard.

And now, after many a long years’ absence, the CIH is coming back to town for the 2023 Northern Housing Festival.

It has been my pleasure to help curate the programme for this exciting event which will take place on 9-10 February next year. Incredibly, this two-day event is FREE for CIH members – and we have pulled together a packed programme of speakers, ready to share their expertise and good practice with every delegate who attends. The line-up covers different aspects of housing management, community involvement, asset management and new build, with day one focussing on levelling up, housing and regeneration, and day two on wider aspects of planning ahead for a sustainable future – all with a distinctly northern flavour.

The programme launch comes at a time when we have all had a sobering reminder of the importance of maintaining a decent, safe home for all our residents. A number of tenants will be joining us to share their experiences – giving insight into how they are engaged in their communities; how their landlord listens to them and their hopes and expectations for the future. We also have tenants from the Climate Jury talking about their involvement on the route to net zero with advice for landlords on how best to communicate with their residents.

The northern CIH regional groups (North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside) have played a key role in shaping the agenda to include the topics of most relevance and interest to CIH members. Regional CIH reps will open each day of the Festival and will chair some of the sessions, ensuring everyone who attends has an opportunity to participate in Q&A and share their own experiences.

It’s the first time I have been involved in helping to organise anything on this scale, and it has been an eye-opener. While many members will never see the behind the scenes activity, the CIH team have been amazing, pulling together and co-ordinating all the various aspects of arranging a successful event. And thanks are due to headline sponsors AICO and ProCare for their incredible support.     

I hope to see many of you there!

If you’re a CIH member, you can book your FREE EXCLUSIVE place at the Northern Housing Festival now.

If you’re not a member, it’s time to consider switching your spend. In most cases standard annual membership is cheaper than previous delegate rates, and rather than attend just the Northern Housing Festival, you'll have access to a wealth of CIH events* and a whole host of member benefits. Find out more today!