Phil Miles’ words from the opening session rang true throughout the event; a uniting sentiment for those championing social value in a sector that is under growing pressure to do more with less. This courage was reflected in a range of discussions, from wellbeing and health to procurement policy and trust.
From Policy to Practice:
One key thread was the call for greater accountability particularly in how social value is embedded in procurement. The new Procurement Act presents a vital opportunity, but only if the right key performance indicators are paired with the right intent. Community investment practitioners have a role to play in ensuring that delivery doesn’t stop at contract award but continues to deliver meaningful outcomes on the ground.
Small Resources, Big Impact:
For those in the community investment space, this session resonated deeply. The speakers reminding us that impact isn’t about scale, but intention. Whether it’s a community garden, a digital skills course, or a coffee morning; these “small” acts often lay the foundation for wider change. This is where community investment excels: in listening, responding, and helping people thrive. Where trust begins and change can happen.
Stepping Up to Transform:
This session explored how public sector bodies can move beyond transactional approaches to genuinely transformative social value: underpinned by transformational leadership, vision, and the willingness to step out of comfort zones. For community investment teams, this kind of culture shift opens new opportunities to embed long-term thinking and participatory approaches into local strategies.
Real People, Real Impact:
Day two brought the focus firmly back to communities. Housing associations were rightly recognised as long-term custodians of place, but this must come with a renewed focus on co-creation. It’s not just about delivering value to communities but building it with them.
Power, Purpose and Trust
One of the most poignant conversations of the day touched on the erosion of trust, in politics, institutions, and within our own sector. Rebuilding that trust is essential not just for the success of community investment, but for social and economic resilience. The session challenged us to think about how we transfer power to communities and centre their voices in shaping local futures.
Reflections and a Path Forward for Community Investment:
The conference reminded us that social value isn’t a side project, it is the social mission. Across two days, we explored the shifting landscape of social value and returning to some enduring truths: the importance of connection, trust, and the everyday often-unseen efforts that change lives. For those of us working in community investment, the sessions offered both inspiration and challenge: to go further, think more critically, and hold onto the principle that people and place must remain at the centre of everything we do.
Looking Ahead: Future Thinking
The future of community investment cannot be passive it must be intentional, bold, and embedded into how housing providers operate. Not a bolt-on, not an afterthought, but a ‘must-have’ function. This is especially vital if we are serious about creating meaningful social value. Too often, the link between social value and effective community investment strategy is overlooked or underdeveloped. Yet without this connection, attempts at transformation risk being surface-level or short-lived. Embedding long-term, participatory approaches into local strategies requires not just bold commitments, but also a clear recognition that community investment is the vehicle through which lasting social value is delivered.
We must advocate for structures that build in community investment from the ground up in governance, in funding bids, in strategic planning.
We must also ask hard questions:
- How do we show the tangible, long-term value of community investment to boards and stakeholders navigating acute financial pressures?
- How do we challenge the idea that it’s expendable when budgets tighten, even as tenants face the fallout of welfare reform, housing devolution, and deepening levels of poverty.
- How do we design roles, teams, and partnerships that enable local knowledge to flourish- not be sidelined?
There are deep provocations here too. With social landlords facing mounting obligations from EPC ratings to fire safety and the Decent Homes Standard, how do we prevent these imperatives from squeezing out the very activities that sustain tenant wellbeing? Community investment must not become collateral damage in the pursuit of compliance.
HACT has long recognised that meaningful social value cannot exist without strong, embedded community investment practice as the two are fundamentally interconnected. That’s why HACT established the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment: to create a dedicated space where the sector can explore these challenging questions, not in isolation, but together. The Centre plays a critical role not just in research and insight, but in helping organisations articulate the why, the how, and the value of their work. By bridging the local and the strategic, the personal and the systemic, it provides room for learning, peer-to-peer support, collaboration, and collective problem-solving.
As we move forward, we must ask: what’s possible when we choose to build with purpose, with people, and with trust?
Let’s be brave, let’s keep listening and let’s build a sector where community investment isn’t an extra, but rather the basis of how we build resilient thriving communities.
