Issue: 66 | June 2023

Welcome to this latest edition of CT Brief. As ever, we are proud to feature contributions from a broad range of talented individuals and fantastic organisations across the UK and Ireland, focusing in particular on local authorities.

Running throughout this issue is a focus on getting the basics right and the importance of listening to customers, communities, and frontline colleagues when delivering services. This is perhaps inevitable given the increased focus on consumer regulation, which is being adopted by the Regulator for Social Housing in line with the Social Housing Regulation Bill, as well as the recent reminder of the profound consequences of not listening to our customers or providing effective services, as so sadly illustrated by the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.

This issue includes some excellent illustrations of how organisations, especially local authorities, are responding to their immediate challenges – whether that be tackling damp and mould, promoting the retrofit of homes, rethinking housing management and tenant engagement, or ensuring that they remain rooted in the local community.

We also feature reflections from CT colleagues on such topics as the importance for local authorities of health policy; why organisational culture matters; redefining target operating models; learning from the latest local election results; and how to approach regulation.

Lastly, while the world becomes increasingly concerned with the unpredictable effects of AI, we’d like to assure you that CT Brief remains proudly written by humans!