Who speaks for residents, and who has the power to change things?

Ben is joined by Suz Muna, Secretary of the Social Housing Action Campaign, for a frank conversation about resident representation, housing accountability and the campaign for a National Housing Union.

We discuss why consultation does not necessarily give residents power, how trade unions could help build an independent collective voice, and why housing problems follow people into their working lives.

The conversation also covers GreenSquareAccord’s regulatory downgrade, property sales, concerns about residents’ personal data, and the gap between corporate promises and people’s experiences at home. We finish by discussing why evidence matters when bringing residents’ stories into the public eye.

Recorded on 21 October 2026. Discussion reflects the information and views expressed at the time.

Find out about the National Housing Union campaign and download the blueprint
SHAC’s National Housing Union campaign

Trade union members can use the briefing and template email mentioned in the episode
Download SHAC’s trade union member template email

Read our subsequent reporting
GreenSquareAccord — The Ruth Cooke Years

Explore our housing provider directory
Housing Sector Directory

Have a story worth sharing? Email hello@housingsector.co.uk with a brief outline and any supporting evidence.

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#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #SHAC #SocialHousing #ResidentVoices #TenantRights #HousingAccountability #NationalHousingUnion #TradeUnions #GreenSquareAccord

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Stephen Day returns to the Housing Sector Podcast with an extraordinary update from Royal Artillery Quays in Woolwich.

Residents say they have spent years raising concerns about serious fire-safety and construction defects, including missing fire doors and failures in internal fire compartmentation. Yet Stephen says the evidence they have repeatedly presented has been denied, dismissed or ignored.

In this episode we discuss the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Building Safety Regulator, London Fire Brigade, the Ombudsman and the wider system residents are expected to rely upon when something goes wrong.

Stephen also explains why residents raised more than £4,000 themselves to commission independent fire-engineering advice, why he believes public statements made about their evidence must now be withdrawn, and why the proposed Hillsborough Law could become highly significant.

But the wider question is bigger than Royal Artillery Quays.

How many residents are living in potentially unsafe buildings who simply do not have the time, money, knowledge or confidence to spend years fighting the organisations that are supposed to protect them?

And why does the system so often appear to focus on the person raising the alarm rather than the alarm itself?

Right to reply will be offered to those criticised or named during this discussion.

#HousingSector #BuildingSafety #RoyalArtilleryQuays #Greenwich #RoyalBoroughOfGreenwich #FireSafety #BuildingSafetyCrisis #Leasehold #Grenfell #HillsboroughLaw #SocialHousing #ResidentVoice #Accountability #HousingCrisis

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Housing has already seen more than 40 events, conferences and awards in 2026 — and the year isn’t over yet.

In this audio version of my latest Housing Sector blog, I ask a simple question: are residents seeing enough measurable value from the sheer scale of the housing events circuit?

When housing associations tell us they must account for every pound, while rents and service charges continue to rise and basic services remain under pressure, it is reasonable to scrutinise the cost of conferences, memberships, travel, accommodation, awards and staff time.

Events can have value. But where are the outcomes?

#Housing #SocialHousing #HousingSector #HousingAssociations #Tenants #Residents #ServiceCharges #ResidentEngagement #Accountability #Transparency #UKHousing

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Joanne — known on TikTok as @aunty.jo — for an open and honest conversation about why more tenants are turning to social media to talk about the reality of their housing experiences.

Joanne originally created her platform around community support and healing, but after speaking to hundreds of people she began to recognise the same housing problems appearing again and again: residents feeling ignored, overlooked, frightened to speak up and unsure where to turn for help. Her response has been to use her voice and her growing TikTok platform to encourage tenants to support one another and share their lived experience.

We talk about complaints, repairs, temporary accommodation, contractors, service charges and the exhaustion that comes from repeatedly chasing organisations for answers. We also discuss why residents often end up raising their concerns publicly after private emails and phone calls have failed — only to be told on social media to go back and contact the same customer service channels that have already ignored them.

TikTok has opened up a very different type of resident engagement. Search housing on the platform and you quickly find tenants talking openly about disrepair, communication failures, service charges and the struggle to get basic problems resolved. These conversations are often far removed from the carefully managed resident panels, conferences and engagement events that dominate much of the traditional housing sector.

Joanne and I discuss whether housing providers are really listening to those voices — particularly the difficult, outspoken and frustrated residents who may not fit neatly into the sector’s preferred model of engagement. Sometimes the feedback organisations most need to hear is the feedback they least want to hear.

There is also practical advice for residents. Joanne’s message is simple: don’t give up, reach out for support and document everything. Keep photographs, emails, dates and records, speak to people you trust and connect with other residents who understand what you are experiencing.

And there is a message for senior leaders in housing associations and councils: get out into your communities, speak directly to tenants, listen to what they are actually saying and take action. Reports, statistics and satisfaction scores can only tell you so much. Sometimes you need to speak to the people living with the consequences of the decisions being made.

This is a conversation about tenant voice, accountability, lived experience and why residents supporting residents could become an increasingly important part of the housing conversation.

Follow Joanne on TikTok: @aunty.jo
Follow Housing Sector on TikTok: @housing.sector

Website: housingsector.co.uk

If you have a housing story you think needs to be heard, get in touch.

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #TikTok #HousingTikTok #TenantVoice #Tenants #Residents #SocialHousing #HousingAssociation #CouncilHousing #ResidentEngagement #HousingRepairs #ServiceCharges #Accountability #HousingCrisis

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Could the UK be heading towards a new wave of rent strikes?

In this episode, I sit down with Suze Muna from SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) to explore why more tenants and leaseholders are reaching breaking point.

We discuss the growing pressure of rising rents and spiralling service charges, the financial position of housing associations, and whether frustration is beginning to turn into organised action. We also look at the proposal for a National Housing Union and ask whether the sector is listening to the people it exists to serve.

In this episode we discuss:

• What rent strikes are – and why they happen.
• The impact of rising service charges.
• Housing association finances and accountability.
• Whether residents' voices are being heard.
• The case for a National Housing Union.
• What the future could look like if confidence in the sector continues to decline.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you think rent strikes are becoming a realistic possibility, or can the sector rebuild trust before it reaches that point?

Please like, subscribe and share if you find these conversations valuable.

https://shaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SHAC-Blueprint-for-a-National-Housing-Union-July-2026-Full-Version-V1.pdf


#HousingSector #SocialHousing #RentStrikes #ServiceCharges #HousingAssociations #Tenants #Leaseholders #HousingPodcast #SHAC #NationalHousingUnion

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Housing Sector Podcast #73 – The Boardroom Blind Spot?

In this episode, I am joined by Hannah Howard-Jones to explore one of the most important questions facing the housing sector today: are housing association boards asking the right questions?

We discuss the role of boards, governance, accountability, CEO oversight, mergers, organisational culture, data quality, AI, and why transparency matters more than ever.

From scrutinising performance data to holding senior leaders to account, this conversation examines whether boards are getting the information they need, whether they are challenging effectively, and what happens when organisations lose sight of their purpose.

Topics covered:

• The role of housing association boards
• Governance and accountability
• CEO performance and leadership
• Board scrutiny and challenge
• Housing association mergers
• Data quality and decision-making
• Artificial intelligence and risk
• Resident trust and transparency
• Leadership culture in social housing

My thanks to Hannah Howard-Jones for joining me once again for a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion.

Follow, share, and visit housingsector.co.uk — because the more people who understand what’s really going on, the harder it becomes to ignore.

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #SocialHousing #HousingAssociations #Governance #BoardMembers #HousingLeadership #Accountability #TenantVoice #ResidentVoice #DataGovernance #ArtificialIntelligence #HousingManagement #HannahHowardJones #BenJenkins

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I speak with Stephen Day about building safety, institutional candour, resident campaigning, and what happens when people raising serious concerns become the target instead of the issues themselves.

We discuss:

• post-Grenfell fire safety concerns
• compartmentation failures and remediation disputes
• PAS 9980 and watered-down remediation standards
• accusations of harassment against campaigners
• councils, developers, and accountability
• the culture of “deny, attack, reverse victim and offender”
• why residents increasingly feel silenced rather than heard

The conversation focuses heavily on the ongoing situation at Royal Artillery Quays and the wider questions facing the housing sector nearly a decade after Grenfell Tower fire.

Follow, share, and visit housingsector.co.uk — because the more people who understand what’s really going on, the harder it becomes to ignore.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-197129987

https://www.businessinsider.com/grenfell-fire-expert-colin-todd-disabled-people-2022-2

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #StephenDay #Grenfell #BuildingSafety #CladdingScandal #FireSafety #SocialHousing #PAS9980 #ResidentVoice #HousingPodcast #TenantRights #Accountability #Leasehold #RoyalArtilleryQuays #HousingCrisis

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In Housing Sector Podcast #71, I speak with Mark Hughes from Southwark and Muhammad Khan from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea about growing concerns around the use of decants within social housing.

The discussion explores allegations that temporary decants are increasingly being used in ways that leave residents permanently displaced from their homes. Mark shares his personal experience involving disrepair, lock changes, temporary accommodation issues, and legal action, while Muhammad discusses concerns around unsuitable accommodation, resident mistrust following Grenfell, and fears surrounding regeneration and displacement.

We also discuss:

• Temporary vs permanent decants
• Repairs and disrepair in social housing
• Resident trust and accountability
• The impact on families and vulnerable tenants
• Tenant participation and resident panels
• PR, complaints handling, and governance culture
• Awaab’s Law and housing obligations

This episode contains allegations and personal experiences discussed by the guests. Relevant councils will be offered a right of reply.

Follow, share, and visit housingsector.co.uk — because the more people who understand what’s really going on, the harder it becomes to ignore.

#HousingSector #SocialHousing #HousingPodcast #Decant #TenantRights #CouncilHousing #Disrepair #HousingCrisis #AwaabsLaw #Southwark #RBKC #Grenfell #HousingAssociation #ServiceCharges #BenJenkins

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