Peter Gregory and Betty Albon provide a comprehensive overview of the 2026 ACES National Conference in Southend-on-Sea, detailing sessions on the housing crisis, planning viability, public-private partnerships, workforce recruitment, and the strategic impact of Local Government Reorganisation.

Maddie Thomson from Knight Frank explores why strategic asset management must act as a core leadership discipline during public sector reform, ensuring estate decisions, operating models, and service delivery remain aligned around place and community outcomes.

Chris Skipworth highlights why the Five Eyes cyber risk warning applies urgently to local authorities, showing how property and estates teams can build an essential first line of defence against attacks by treating logins as a managed asset class.

Urban regeneration specialist Jackie Sadek proposes "Public Build to Rent" (PBTR) as a modern solution to council housebuilding, exploring how local authorities can leverage planning powers and private sector delivery to tackle the housing crisis.

Alicia Gristwood of Park Avenue Recruitment explores the vital link between recruitment, development, and retention in local government property teams, urging leaders to "make the career visible" to attract and keep future talent.

Donna Best FRICS of RICS explores what full Red Book compliance looks like in practice for public sector property teams, covering financial reporting standards, defensible audit trails, rotation policies, and the responsible adoption of AI.

Stuart Knight and Mark Walshe share candid lessons and practical guidance from Cumberland Council's transition to a unitary authority, covering asset rationalisation, team integration, data management, and navigating change.

Sam Caulton of Re-Leased explains how AI can support under-resourced public sector property teams by streamlining lease administration, providing portfolio-wide compliance assurance, and preserving institutional knowledge—while leaving professional judgement firmly with surveyors.

Clare Jones and Madison Thomas of BPS Chartered Surveyors assess whether the August 2026 NPPF reforms can overcome rising build costs, low flat sales, and viability bottlenecks to restart stalled housing delivery.

Richard Pigott examines the government's August 2026 Biodiversity Net Gain reforms from the perspectives of an SME developer and practicing ecologists, evaluating whether exemptions for small developments reduce burdens without undermining long-term nature recovery.

Professor Janice Morphet and Dr Ben Clifford present interim findings from their 2026 UCL Bartlett study, revealing that 95% of English local authorities are actively supporting direct housing delivery through council companies, joint ventures, acquisitions, and strategic land development.

Grace Esberger of Park Avenue Recruitment speaks with local authority property heads about tackling the skills shortage, balancing permanent hiring with strategic interims, and growing their own surveying pipelines through clear career pathways.

Carter Jonas specialists Alexandra Houghton, Sophie Davidson, and David Johnson analyze the uneven recovery across UK housing, commercial property, and strategic land, outlining key viability risks, market polarisation, and strategic asset choices for local authorities in 2026.

Francis Truss of Carter Jonas explains why a modern council housebuilding drive cannot simply recreate the 1950s municipal model, showing how today’s delivery relies on mixed-tenure schemes, private partnerships, and rebuilding local authority development capacity.

Matthew Hopkinson introduces Understanding English Places (uep.org.uk), a groundbreaking spatial data platform mapping 3,463 English towns and cities to equip local authorities with granular, evidence-based intelligence for regeneration, funding bids, and policy design.

Harry Bunbury, Director at HBD, reflects on a decade of delivering Airport Business Park Southend with Southend-on-Sea City Council, exploring how trust, two-tier governance, and shared risk make public-private partnerships succeed.

Retired chartered surveyor Simon Eades looks back on his early career at Norwich Union, revisiting the trials of rewriting his 1980 RICS qualification submission, measuring major shopping developments, and cross-country road trips.

Success in a live disposals programme depends less on identifying individual assets and more on commissioning the conditions in which delivery can happen effectively. Kathryn Hurlock outlines how to move from strategic intent to corporate change.

As local authorities move from policy designation to practical delivery, early experience reveals that the notice period is the most critical stage of the High Street Rental Auction process. Rather than just a precursor to auction, this stage is acting as a powerful catalyst for landlord engagement and bringing long-term vacant units back into use.

Launched in 2016, the Solar for Business scheme has invested £7.5m to help over 110 organizations access cheaper, greener energy. From manufacturing sites to community cafés, learn how this initiative is driving West Suffolk toward a sustainable, net-zero future.