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Welcome to the 2026 Autumn Terrier.
Well this one has been a challenge! I’m writing this as all the rest of the content has been checked and is due to go to Marcus Macaulay, ACES’ publisher. I will be mightily relieved to wave it goodbye.
The centre piece of this issue is ACES National Conference held in Southend-on-Sea on 24 September. The weather was perfect, and everything went seamlessly well and to time (especially if one didn’t look under the water at the serene ACES’ conference team members furiously paddling). It was extremely well attended, by members, corporate sponsors and supporters. The social programme was also thoroughly enjoyed by participants.
This issue includes the write up, plus a number of full articles on many of the topics. My thanks to Dr. Steven Norris of LSH and the Carter Jonas team for their especial help.
Housing, from various viewpoints, features strongly in this issue. And well it should, as many public sector surveyors are involved in trying to achieve schemes. There are also a few articles about NPPF and local plans and the implications for delivery. There are also some professional topics. Again, there are a few pieces which I hope are of interest to ACES’ growing cohort of FACES members.
Minutes of ACES Council meetings can now be found in the Members Only area of ACES website.
Autumn 2026
ACES Terrier
In this Issue
RICS SENIOR PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT Changes to the RICS APC Senior Professional Assessment Applicant Guide in 2026
Jen Lemen FRICS breaks down the alternative route to MRICS via the Senior Professional Assessment (SPA), detailing key 2026 updates including strict generative AI policies, interview security rules, and case study competency mapping.
Jen Lemen
STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT Delivering place-based public services in an era of reform
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.
Maddie Chelsom
ASSIGNMENT OF LEASES New guidance from the High Court on issues arising when dealing with consent to assignment of a lease
Henry Mahalski analyses the High Court decision in Mulbury Homes v Scoto & Stockport Council, exploring its crucial guidance on SCPC 11.3, landlord consent to assignment, contract rescission, and the legal standing of contracting purchasers.
Henry Mahalski
STEWARDSHIP FUNDING Who pays for place? Rethinking stewardship funding in an era of squeezed viability
Francis Truss examines the critical question of "who pays for place," evaluating four emerging stewardship funding models to ensure long-term public realm, ESG, and biodiversity management remain viable amid tight development margins.
Francis Truss
RICS EDUCATION CONFERENCE iBEE and RICS Accredited Providers Conference, September 2026
Luka Mikulandra recaps the 2026 iBEE and RICS Accredited Providers Conference at RICS London HQ, exploring innovations in built environment education, AI in the classroom, assessment reforms, and the launch of the new RICS TikTok channel.
Luka Mikulandra
FUTURE WORKFACE ISSUES Mini-keynote speech
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.
Alicia Gristwood
CYBER-ATTACKS The Five Eyes warning wasn't for enterprise security officers - It was for local government
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.
Chris Skipworth
APC GRADUATION CEREMONY A grand day out……RICS Welcome to the Profession event
Retired surveyor Bernard White FRICS recounts his experience speaking at the RICS APC graduation ceremony at Great George Street, sharing decades of career insights, ethical advice, and reflections on the future of the surveying profession.
Bernard White
PUBLIC BUILD TO RENT A walk in the park?
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.
Jackie Sadek
NPPF AND DEVELOPMENT The new NPPF in practice - a fresh look at land and development potential
Mary-Jane O’Neill of Lambert Smith Hampton examines the August 2026 NPPF in practice, detailing emerging appeal trends, station-led density opportunities, grey belt potential, and why estates teams should conduct a strategic portfolio review.
Mary-Jane O’Neill
RED BOOK VALUATIONS Practical points for public sector valuers on compliance, governance, audit trails and responsible use of AI
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.
Donna Best
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION A Cumberland tale
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.
Stuart Knight and Mark Walshe
LOCAL PLAN VIABILITY Turning policy ambition into deliverable public outcomes
Alex McKinlay, Head of Public Sector Land at Savills, explains how local authorities can use whole-plan viability testing and strategic public land assets to bridge policy ambitions with deliverable housing and infrastructure outcomes.
Alex McKinlay
ACES NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2026 The future of housing, surveying and local government 24 SEPTEMBER 2026
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.
Peter Gregory and Betty Albon
MORE MUSINGS
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.
Simon Eades
DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS The value of partnerships
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.
Harry Bunbury
AI IN ESTATES MANAGEMENT Where AI is earning its place in public sector property
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.
Sam Caulton
PLANNING REFORM Labour 2:0 - Planning reform update
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.
Clare Jones and Madison Thomas
BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN Biodiversity reforms – a (small?) step in the right direction?
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.
Richard Pigott
BENTLEY MEMOIRS The bells of Ljubljana, deep fried Mars Bars, and accommodation reviews - A Grumpy Guide
Former CIPFA asset management head David Bentley serves up a humorous update from Cuillich Mill B&B, recounting sleepless nights teaching in Ljubljana, travels around Aberdeenshire, and the trials of online guest reviews.
David Bentley
COUNCIL HOUSING RESEARCH Local authority direct provision of housing: an update report
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.
Janice Morphet and Ben Clifford
THE RECRUITMENT CHALLENGE
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.
Grace Esberger
THE UK PROPERTY MARKET 2026 Opportunities, risks and implications for the public sector
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.
Alexandra Houghton, Sophie Davidson and David Johnson
REGISTERED PROVIDERS From purchaser to partner
Charles Elgy and Francis Truss explore how Registered Providers are moving upstream from pure Section 106 purchasers to active development partners, using joint ventures and strategic grant funding to secure long-term affordable housing pipelines.
Charles Elgy
KEVIN MOORE, HEART OF ENGLAND BRANCH
Kevin Moore reports on recent activities from the ACES Heart of England Branch, including a hybrid meeting at Telford Central Fire Station covering fire safety compliance and Telford & Wrekin Council’s ambitious regeneration programmes.
Kevin Moore
NEW COUNCIL ROLES Council housing is back - but not as we know it
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.
Francis Truss
MEES MEES reset: the deadline has moved, but the problem hasn’t
Carter Jonas researcher Rad Radev examines the government's updated MEES timetable for non-domestic property, revealing that 63% of larger commercial spaces still fall below the proposed EPC B standard and explaining why landlords must use this planning window to act
Rad Radev
PLACE-BASED POLICY Rethinking place-based policy: How uep.org.uk reframes the way we see English towns and cities
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.
Matthew Hopkinson
NEW COUNCIL HOUSING Council housing can work: Lessons from East Barnwell
John Mason explores how local authorities can once again become major housebuilders by examining the £50m East Barnwell regeneration scheme in Cambridge, demonstrating how joint ventures and sustainable densification can unlock high-quality affordable housing.
John Mason
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