“We’ve got lots of work to do” – almost the opening line today at the Housing and Communities annual lecture with Centre for the New Midlands yesterday, and this sentiment, amongst a lot of other insights, was evidenced at almost every turn by guest speaker Clive Betts MP.

Although at Pearl Comms I am fortunate enough to work across many areas of the property and housing world – legal, planning, social housing, shared ownership, contractor, construction, modular manufacturing and everything in between, I am not going to pretend I fully understand the intricacies of all the sector’s nuances. But what was very clear, was that the opportunities are great and the challenge is complex.

Following the many conversations and speeches, I couldn’t help but reflect on how comms plays its part in the sector, especially at such a pivotal time.

It was abundantly clear that the opportunity and the sheer magnitude of the issues facing the country and the people most in need of housing provision, are BOTH staggering.

This means that the comms challenges are huge and the need for considered communications has never been greater. Here’s how it touches all aspects of our housing challenge, and how you can get involved.

– Reactive comms – with the new Government, speedy action is going to be required, and we are expecting many more announcements following Rt Hon Rachel Reeves‘ update earlier this week. For those in the sector, sharing your views and joining these conversations is key. This can be on your own social profiles or local networks, in content such as blogs, videos, events, with speaker opportunities, or in fact in your relevant media whether digital or broadcast. Having your say and doing it quickly is key for share of voice on areas that you’re passionate about.

– Transparency of communications across what’s coming out of our new Government is going to count for a lot. We need clarity on what the details mean, and that doesn’t just mean to the planning officers, but for all people. There was a lot of talk about mandates for local authorities, and how to monitor those who don’t comply with any new mandatory policy brought in – clear communications on what the consequences are is just one area that’ll need to be crystal clear. Patience on receiving the detail is going to be needed, but it provides many comms opportunities as it rolls out.

– Match audience and comms format – The devil is in the detail – initial announcements are often light on the detail, but spending the time to fully understand what new policy might really mean when it comes in, and then providing advice and guidance to your impacted parties will help cut through the noise and provide insights that are actually helpful. From a comms point of view, this is all about making your translation of the policies simple to understand. Quite often short reports, guides and resources that help to solve one particular area of change can be helpful.

– Be clear – There will be specific ‘technical’ or ‘specialist’ announcements or changes that have historically been saved for the likes of the planning authority brainboxes, but actually, if we need to be getting communities onboard with welcoming housing stock into their local areas (more houses have to go somewhere, right?), then they need to be able to pick up a community plan and actually understand it. This is just one area where plain English and community engagement needs to triumph.

Clarity. Conciseness. Applicability. Relevancy. ALL. NEED. CONSIDERATION.

– Use your voice – If there is an opportunity to contribute to a consultation that impacts your area of expertise, community, clients or other, then do so. For example, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is rightly going to have an overhaul. Get involved, build your case, and don’t wait to be asked for your views. And most importantly, don’t wait until it’s too late to shape what the future might look like. If you’re in a position to bring evidence, then do so, just be concise and to the point. Partner, find allies and build a voice, community and movement that is calling for change for good and make your response count.

– Plan for the long term – See your communications approach as a long game. Yes there are short term opportunities right now, but sorting out some of the policies and changes that are needed in the housing industry is going to take a very long time, years in many cases, so plan for what you can, and move quickly on the unexpected.

There is so much more to say, and with insightful networks, a new Government with a lot to prove and passionate people banging the drum for change, I have no doubt that great improvements will come, but the road might be a long one.

Comms considerations are just one tiny element of this puzzle though, but certainly an important one.

How all the promises and plans are going to be financed is perhaps one for another day, but for now, your guess is as good as mine.

For more information on how to make the most of your communications send us an email on hello@pearl-comms.com.

For more on what we do at Pearl Comms, take a look here: https://www.pearl-comms.com/