CIEH 15th Housing and Health Conference

We are working hard to support local authorities in achieving their ambitions to protect tenants and drive up housing standards in the rented sector. Metastreet is powering some of the leading regulatory housing authorities with next generation software, app and data science technology.

Al Mcclenahan, Local Authority Outreach and Training Lead at Justice For Tenants. Al has a wealth of experience representing local authorities and tenants in Tribunal hearings. As Local Authority Outreach and Training Lead, Al assists with smart working arrangements to support local authority Private Rented Sector (PRS) regulation in a limited resource environment. He oversees the delivery of the Financial Penalty Toolkit Service – a free service that includes direct tailored advice for officers carrying out proceedings, training, evidence submission and representation in the Tribunal. These services complement a peer-reviewed guide which draws on the practices of Local Authorities who have effective and resource-efficient enforcement processes, to enable all Local Authorities to implement financial penalties as part of their enforcement process.

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive at the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The Association represents over 100,000 landlords across England and Wales. It was founded in 2020 to help landlords navigate the many challenges of the private rented sector, providing first-class support, advice, learning resources, research and campaigning. A landlord for 20 years, Ben has had a lengthy career in housing. He has held senior roles at Places for People and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) and is a familiar face in the sector and the media.

Brian McCrossan, Interim Housing Enforcement Manager at West Northamptonshire Council. Brian has worked in housing for over 15 years and has been specialising in Housing Enforcement for the last decade. He began his Housing Enforcement career at Luton Borough Council where he was instrumental in carrying out intelligence led enforcement as part of the ‘Rogue landlord project’. He led over 20 successful housing prosecutions and put together the first successful rent repayment order in the borough. Brian joined Northampton Council in 2019. He carried out warrants, along with a multi-agency team, to tackle unlicensed HMO properties in the town. As Housing Enforcement Manager, Brian empowers his team to use all the powers available to tackle landlords and property managers who are putting their tenants at risk by not complying with their legal obligations.

Cameron Neilson, Head of Advocacy at Justice For Tenants. Cameron spends most days arguing cases in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal using the new powers conferred by the Housing and Planning Act 2016 for breaches of the Housing Act 2004. He has set several important case precedents in his role as the head of the advocacy team at Justice For Tenants. His long-form housing law journal article, ‘Smoke and Mirrors in the PRS’, highlights the ways that legislative intent can be frustrated and subverted by rogue landlords and agents using hidden and layered structures to evade effective enforcement, successfully prefacing the escalation of Rakusen v Jepsen to UK Supreme Court in 2023.

David Beach, Corporate Director of Regulatory & Contingency Planning Services at London Borough of Waltham Forest. David has been working at Waltham Forest since February 2015 and, in 2018, was appointed as Director of Regulatory Services. With over 30 years’ experience in the housing field, David has held several roles at inner London local authorities, managing teams of enforcement officers charged with tackling rogue landlords and poor housing conditions in the private rented sector. He has made significant contributions to housing enforcement policy and procedure, including LACORS HHSRS guidance and the BABIE scheme, the first Joint London Boroughs standards for homeless person’s accommodation.

Dr Henry Dawson CEnvH MCIEH, Principal Lecturer and Programme Director for Environmental Health at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Henry’s research interests focus on regulatory interventions for housing and health. His recent work includes national analysis of property licensing schemes and authoring of the recent updates to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) Operating Guidance. Henry sits on the Wales Housing Expert Panel, the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence Academic Advisory Panel, and the Welsh Housing Survey Advisory Panel. He is a Chartered Member of CIEH and a member of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH).

Peter Smith, Director of Policy and Advocacy at National Energy Action (NEA). Peter has been at NEA since July 2010 and was appointed a director in 2016. He is responsible for overseeing the charity’s policy and advocacy work and working with government, industry and other stakeholders to address the causes and impacts of fuel poverty. He has particular interest and expertise in the field of domestic energy efficiency and decentralised energy policy. He also provides the strategic direction for NEA’s Parliamentary engagement.