Party conferences are key events in the political calendar, providing the opportunity for us to influence government policy while also raising the profile of RIBA, architects and the built environment.
This year, at both the Labour and Conservative Party conferences, we are hosting and taking part in events focused on delivering more high quality and sustainable homes in places people want to live.
Please find out more about our events below.
Events at Labour party conference
Delivering high quality, affordable homes
Date: 23 September 2024
Time: 9:30am to 11am
Location: RIBA North - 21 Mann Island, Liverpool, L3 1BP
Hosted at RIBA North, this event with housing association, Peabody, will focus on how we can deliver affordable, sustainable, and high quality housing to meet the government's target of 1.5 million new homes.
Chaired by Jill Rutter, senior fellow at the Institute for Government, the panel will explore how we can improve affordable housing supply and identify solutions to overcome current barriers to housing delivery. It will also address the critical role of placemaking and the benefits of designing places that are vibrant, inclusive, well-connected, and accessible.
Panellists will include:
- Dr Abi O’Connor, Urban Sociologist and Researcher at the New Economics Foundation
- Jennifer Dixon, RIBA Board Member and Practice and Policy Committee Chair
- John Lewis, Executive Director of Sustainable Places at Peabody
- Rachel Blake, MP for Cities of London and Westminster.
Book your free ticket for this event at RIBA North.
Ending the Monopoly: Reviving rural communities through small house builders
Date: 23 September 2024
Time: 10am to 10:50am
Location: SME4Labour pod, Arena Room 7, ACC (conference secure zone), Liverpool, L3 4FP
How the new government will deliver its ambitious housing targets while ensuring environmental sustainability is a question that remains unanswered.
At this fringe event, hosted by the Federation of Master Builders and CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), experts will explore how the diversification of the housebuilding market is crucial to meeting these goals.
The discussion will focus on empowering small and medium-sized builders, tackling the housing affordability crisis, and prioritising a brownfield-first approach. RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, will join the discussion.
Book your free ticket for this event at ACC Liverpool.
How can Labour deliver the high quality, sustainable homes we need?
Date: 23 September 2024
Time: 3pm to 3:50pm
Location: Conference Secure Zone, ACC (conference secure zone), Liverpool, L3 4FP
In partnership with the New Statesman and the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), we are hosting a panel discussion to explore how the pledge to build 1.5 million homes within the first five years of the new Labour government will be achieved.
The scale of the challenge is significant, raising important questions: how should Labour approach the housing and skills crises, and how could they work with industry to build homes that are safe, sustainable and serve the needs of communities across the country?
Joining us on the panel will be Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government) from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Drinks reception with built environment bodies
Date: 23 September 2024
Time: 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: RIBA North - 21 Mann Island, Liverpool, L3 1BP
Held at RIBA North and hosted in conjunction with the CIOB, RICS, and the RTPI, this reception will showcase how the built environment will play a critical role in achieving net zero, fostering vibrant communities, and driving regional growth.
Events at Conservative party conference
Drinks reception with industry leaders
Date: 30 September 2024
Time: 5pm to 7pm
Location: RICS Birmingham office - 55 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2AA
In partnership with the CIOB, RICS and the RTPI, we are hosting a drinks reception at the Conservative party conference.
How the built environment is tackling skills shortages, working towards net zero and helping to reform the planning system will be discussed.
Please check back for more events as they are added, and find out about RIBA's policy work.
