Bristol has become a new epicentre for discussions on the UK's housing crisis. Soaring property prices and nationally low rates of socially-rented accommodation have led to lowered homeownership, higher rates of private rental – which are the most expensive outside London – as well as a sharp rise in homelessness.

The housing situation for many of Bristol's residents is therefore becoming more precarious. Unable to enter the property market, many people rely on temporary rental contracts with limited protections, and experience anxiety that also stems from an increase in precarious work in the city.

This event brings together policy makers, practitioners, activists, and researchers to discuss direct experiences of precarious housing arrangements in Bristol, how these arrangements can be explained through social, economic, and political forces which often emerge beyond the realm of local authorities at the national and global scale, and finally, how they can be tackled going forward.

The event will take the form of a panel of five speakers from diverse actors in Bristol's housing market, as well as leading academics conducting research on housing precarity in Bristol and beyond. We also want to encourage audience members to share their own experiences and thoughts on housing in the city.

List of speakers: Paul Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, Bristol City Council; Conor D'Arcy, Senior Research & Policy Analyst, Resolution Foundation; Glynis Morris, Housing Manager, United Communities Housing Association; Professor Alex Marsh, Professor of Public Policy, University of Bristol; Tom Renhard, Acorn: Tenants Union and anti-poverty organising group.

The event is part of UWE Bristol's Social Science in the City series.