The seminars for 2019 will retain the same high standards for which 'AWICS' is well known and will include some new and topical subjects.
The 2019 series of seminars are as follows. Further sessions will be added to the website as and when the dates and venues are confirmed:
We are holding seminars on ‘Universal Credit and the Management of Rent Arrears’ in September 2019. This seminar looks at how Universal Credit is being introduced, the effect that it is having on rent collection and arrears and at how rent arrears can best be managed as tenants move to Universal Credit.
Rent arrears are an increasing problem in both local authorities and housing associations. The roll-out of universal credit is bringing further challenges and is driving increases in rent arrears. There is therefore a need to understand how universal credit works, including alternative payment arrangements, and how to manage rent arrears effectively.
The seminar also looks at rent management strategy, value for money and how to move from ‘cure’ to ‘prevention’.
Venues and Dates:
For further information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Social housing is becoming increasingly important in Scotland at a time of rising demand for affordable housing. The Scottish Parliament has passed the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, reformed the Scottish Housing Regulator, ended the ‘Right to Buy’ and is promoting and funding an ambitious development programme. The Scottish Housing Regulator’s new approach emphasises ‘Value for Money’. The United Kingdom government is ‘reforming’ welfare with significant implications for Scottish tenants and landlords, but some welfare powers have now been devolved to Scotland.
Scottish local authorities therefore face significant challenges, not least the need to meet the Scottish Government's aspirations for development.
This seminar is a useful introduction and overview of this important subject.
Venue and Date:
For more information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This seminar is designed to give an introduction and overview to this important subject and is fully up to date with all developments. Service charges are an integral part of landlords’ work in financing value for money services and sustaining customer satisfaction. They have always been relatively complex but with increased financial challenges and legal and financial complexity there is an increased need to understand how service charging works.
For more information or to make a booking, please click here
______________________________________________________________________________________________
This seminar is an introduction and overview of this important subject. It is designed for people who are not experts in Welsh local authority housing finance, but who need to understand the basics and achieve an overview of what is going on. It is fully up to date with all developments. It refers to rents, service charges, development, prudential borrowing including the abolition of the borrowing cap, housing benefit, welfare reform, business planning and much more.
Venue and Date - Cardiff: Novotel Cardiff Central Hotel – 22nd October 2019
For more information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This series of seminars gives an introduction and overview to this important subject and is fully up to date with all developments. It explains how the housing revenue account, housing general fund and housing capital programme works and considers the threats and opportunities facing local authority housing especially in view of the government's recent policy initiatives including the lifting of the 'borrowing cap'.
For further information or to make a booking please click here
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Risk Management is gaining a higher profile in local government and housing because of austerity, self-financed housing revenue accounts, ‘Brexit’ and the Regulator of Social Housing’s new regulatory standards.
In this context there is a need for a greater understanding of the issues involved in implementing risk management. Those who attend will gain an awareness of Risk Management in Local Government and Housing including how to apply the principles of risk management in a Local Government or Housing context.
Venues and Dates:For further information or to make a booking, please clcik here.
__________________________________________________________________________________
For further information about any of these seminars, please contact Adrian Waite at adrian.waite@awics.co.uk or by telephoning 017683-51498 or 07502-142658
__________________________________________________________________________________
All these seminars are now available in-house. For further information please contact Adrian Waite at adrian.waite@awics.co.uk or by telephoning 017683-51498 or 07502-142658
There is general agreement that England is facing a ‘housing crisis’ and that a lack of social and affordable housing is a significant part of this. There is therefore an appetite in many local authorities to build new council homes as part of their response to the crisis.
This seminar looks in depth at the opportunities that have been created for local authorities by the government’s decision to raise the housing revenue account borrowing cap. These include opportunities to improve existing stock and construct or acquire new stock.
For further information or to make a booking please click here
______________________________________________________________________________________________
This seminar is an introduction and overview of this important subject. It is designed for people who are not experts in housing association finance, but who need to understand the basics and achieve an overview of what is going on. It is fully up to date with all developments. It refers to rents, service charges, development, sources of capital funding including grants and borrowing, housing benefit, welfare reform, business planning and much more.
Venue and Date - Cardiff: Novotel Cardiff Central Hotel – 30th April 2019
For more information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Local Government is going through a period of significant change. There has been a significant and ongoing reduction in funding for local government since 2010 and this is requiring a fundamental redesign of how authorities are organised, and services are delivered. The coalition government passed the Localism Act that promoted local decision making and abolished most ring-fenced grants. The localisation of business rates that is ongoing and revenue support grant is being phased out. There is uncertainty about local government finance moving forward because of the Fair Funding Review and ‘Brexit’.
This seminar is a useful introduction and overview of this important subject and covers revenue and capital finance, the changes that the government is making and how local authorities can respond to this challenging agenda.
Venues and dates:
For further information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This seminar is an introduction and overview of this important subject. It is designed for people who are not experts in housing association finance, but who need to understand the basics and achieve an overview of what is going on. It is fully up to date with all developments. It refers to rents, service charges, development, sources of capital funding including grants and borrowing, housing benefit, welfare reform, business planning and much more.
Venue and Date - Scotland: Novotel Hotel Edinburgh – 29th May 2019
For more information or to make a booking, please click here.
____________________________________________________________________________________
This seminar looks in depth at current developments in local authority housing finance in England – especially the implications of government policies, public finances, rent policy, welfare reform including universal credit, the reinvigorated ‘right to buy’, the homelessness reduction act, the flexible homelessness reduction grant, the affordable housing programme (including the new funding for social housing), the abolition of the borrowing cap, local housing companies (what they can offer, how to establish them and how to set one up) and new development.
For more information or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Venues and Dates
Housing Associations face significant financial challenges because of which it is now more important than ever that everyone involved in the governance, management and operations of housing associations has a working knowledge of housing association finance.
These seminars provide a solid grounding in the basics of housing association finance and are a useful introduction and overview of this important subject. They cover all aspects of Housing Association Finance including Income, Expenditure, Development, Capital Finance and technical financial issues.
For more information, or to make a booking, please click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
An AWICS seminar about to start at the Conference Centre at the Novotel Hotel (Waterloo) in London.
To make enquiries about seminars please contact us at enquiries@awics.co.uk or 017683-51498.