Session overview

Over the past five years, Daniel Hewitt has led some of the UK’s most high-profile investigations into housing, shining a light on the lived experience of social housing tenants and the response from organisations, regulators and government.

In this session, Daniel will share the key findings from that work, alongside themes from his forthcoming book, Left to Rot, an investigation into the policy choices that led to the UK housing crisis. Exploring the human cost of poor housing, ignored voices and short-term decision-making, the session will examine what his investigations reveal about the consequences of poor conditions and poor accountability and the lessons housing organisations cannot afford to ignore.

Drawing on real cases and national scrutiny, the session will focus on the importance of focusing time and resource on what really matters, communicating with honesty and clarity, and taking a more long-term approach to decision-making and service improvement.approach to decision-making and service improvement.

Key takeaways

By attending this session, participants will:

• Gain insight into the findings of a five-year investigation into the housing crisis
• Better understand the experience of social housing tenants and where systems have fallen short
• Reflect on why organisations need to focus time and resource on what matters most
• Explore the role of clear and honest communication in building trust and accountability
• Consider why long-term thinking is critical to improving services and avoiding repeated failure

About the speaker

Daniel Hewitt – Investigations Editor, ITV News

Daniel Hewitt is an award-winning journalist, author and presenter. He is currently Investigations Editor at ITV News, where he has spent the last five years investigating housing in the UK. His work has led to legislative change, as well as six independent inquiries and investigations by the UK Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Housing Ombudsman.

He was awarded the prestigious Specialist Journalist of the Year by the Royal Television Society in 2022 and again in 2024. His podcast, The Trapped, won a Radio Academy prize and a British Podcast Award in 2025. He has recently published his first book, Left to Rot, an investigation into the policy choices behind the UK housing crisis.

Who should attend?

This session is ideal for:

• Board members, chief executives and senior leaders
• Housing, customer experience and operations leaders
• Governance, risk and assurance professionals
• Anyone involved in improving services, accountability and resident outcomes in social housing

It will be particularly valuable for those wanting to reflect on what the sector must learn from recent failures and what it will take to respond differently.

Free to attend as part of your DIN subscription.