Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what objectives, membership and reporting arrangements have been agreed for the Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group established following the Government’s supported exempt accommodation roundtable in Birmingham in summer 2026; and when the group is expected to report on its work.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing planning powers to manage concentrations of houses in multiple occupation and supported exempt accommodation; and whether she plans to introduce further measures to enable local authorities to address cumulative impacts on residential neighbourhoods.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported exempt accommodation; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that providers meet minimum standards.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has provided to Birmingham City Council for policing supported exempt accommodation improvement and enforcement since 2021; and what assessment she has made of the outcomes achieved through that funding.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the powers available to local authorities to establish and enforce minimum standards for supported exempt accommodation before the implementation of the licensing provisions of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects to bring into force the outstanding provisions of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 on national supported housing standards and local authority licensing schemes.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to raise standards and drive out the minority of poor providers taking advantage of the Housing Benefit system whilst providing little or no support to residents.
On 15 October we took the next step in implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act by publishing a consultation, which can be found here, on draft regulations, which will close on 10 December. The licensing regulations will be laid early next year following the analysis and consideration of consultation responses. We expect licensing to be fully implemented in 2027/28.
While local authorities should wait for the regulations to be laid before implementing licensing itself, there are things they can do now to tackle poor quality accommodation, and poor quality support. This includes:
The Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) supported 26 Local Authorities (LAs) to address poor-quality supported housing and to drive up standards in their area utilising the current powers available to them, set out above. Initially a £20 million 3-year programme, a further £8 million of funding was issued to participating LAs in May 2025, to continue the programme until 31 March 2026. An evaluation of the Programme will be published early next year.
Birmingham City Council has received a total of £6.5 million funding from the department to address poor quality supported housing and to drive up standards. Between October 2020 and September 2021 it received £1,740,000 from the Supported Housing Oversight Pilot (Pilot). Between 2022 and 2026 it received £4,760,000 in funding via the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP).
An evaluation of the Pilot can be viewed here.
A specific assessment of voluntary quality standards and accreditation schemes for supported housing has not been made. The government is clear that all supported housing should provide good quality accommodation, be well managed and residents should get the support they need to enable them to live as independently as possible and this is why we are implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Enforcement Group was established by Birmingham City Council who are best placed to respond to questions about their work.
Local authorities already have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community. This would mean any change of use to both large and small Houses in Multiple Occupation would require an application for planning permission, which has to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, enabling local people to comment.
Moreover, the new National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, provides a more flexible framework for the use of Article 4 directions, allowing local planning authorities to remove permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of an area, for instance where there is an overconcentration of small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Supported exempt accommodation is a housing benefits concept and therefore does not fit neatly into the planning use class system. Where a material change of use is required to provide supported exempt accommodation, planning permission will be required.
We continue to keep planning use classes and permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications of the Middlesbrough judgment of 2022 for identifying contrived tenancy arrangements in supported exempt accommodation; and whether it plans to update guidance to local authorities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
On 20 April 2026, the Upper Tribunal upheld the decision of the First-tier Tribunal that the rental liability of the tenants of a large housing provider had been created to take advantage of the Housing Benefit system. The Housing Benefit claims for those tenants had originally been refused by Middlesbrough and Sunderland local authorities in 2022.
Although the Upper Tribunal decision does not change the law, we have shared it with all local authorities through the LA Welfare Direct publication to help them identify contrivance when examining similar funding arrangements.
However, it is important to note that the lease-based funding model can be a legitimate and positive method of providing supported housing.
We are currently updating the published Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims which contains a section on lease-based supported housing schemes where we will include reference to this contrivance decision.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on verifying occupancy, tenancy arrangements and the provision of qualifying care, support or supervision before awarding enhanced Housing Benefit for supported exempt accommodation.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department published the ‘Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims’ in May 2022 and updated this in April 2026. The guidance provides local authorities with a consolidated source of advice to support their decision-making on administering enhanced Housing Benefit. This includes advice on the information and evidence that may be required from claimants, the assessment of landlord and tenancy arrangements, and the requirement to provide care, support or supervision.
We are currently updating this guidance and are engaging with a number of local authorities and relevant stakeholders to ensure it reflects current operational practices.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will publish the findings and recommendations of its performance review of Birmingham City Council’s administration of Housing Benefit for supported exempt accommodation.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department has engaged with Birmingham City Council in relation to supported exempt accommodation. This activity was a fact-finding exercise covering supported exempt accommodation and temporary accommodation as part of a wider financial resilience review, not a specific performance review. There is, therefore, no such report.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of existing powers to scrutinise financial arrangements between supported exempt accommodation providers, property owners, managing agents and subcontractors when determining eligible Housing Benefit expenditure.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Local authorities are responsible for administering Housing Benefit and determining individual claims in accordance with the relevant legislation. This includes scrutinising rents and service charges, excluding ineligible costs and considering whether rents are unreasonably high.
The Department recognises that complex financial and organisational arrangements can make this scrutiny more difficult and keeps the effectiveness of the Housing Benefit framework under review.
We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement measures under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The new licensing regime will include a fit and proper person test to ensure that those managing or in control of supported housing are people of integrity and good character, with the relevant skills and experience. This will strengthen oversight of providers and sit alongside the planned link between licensing and Housing Benefit entitlement, helping to ensure that public money supports good-quality, legitimate provision.