Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Supported Exempt Accommodation

09 February 2022 · 5 other contributors · 4,626 words

Opened by Shabana Mahmood Lab Birmingham Ladywood

Responding minister: Eddie Hughes

HousingCommunity Security

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Shabana Mahmood raised concerns about supported exempt accommodation in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • MP raises concerns about misuse of supported exempt accommodation by rogue operators
  • MP calls for tighter welfare regulations and stricter legal tests for enhanced housing benefits
  • Minister acknowledges serious issues impacting vulnerable individuals and housing benefit bill

Key requests to Government

The MP asks the Government to tighten welfare regulations, introduce stricter legal tests for accessing enhanced housing benefits, establish robust fit-and-proper-person criteria for providers, empower local authorities to reject applications based on saturation or over-supply, and implement comprehensive inspections and enforcement mechanisms. The MP seeks decisive action to address the systemic issues in supported exempt accommodation.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Shabana Mahmood Lab Birmingham Ladywood

The MP is concerned about the misuse of supported exempt accommodation by rogue operators who exploit a lucrative loophole, leading to unsuitable living conditions for tenants and negative impacts on communities. She cites issues such as insufficient care, support, and supervision; poor property conditions; over-concentration in specific areas; increased crime and antisocial behaviour; forged documents; and lack of local authority oversight. The MP notes that more than 150,000 households are living in exempt accommodation, representing a 62% increase in five years.

Other contributors (5)
  • Jess Phillips Lab Birmingham Yardley

    Highlighted cases of rape victims housed with men released from prison for similar crimes; two women murdered in exempt accommodation due to inadequate support. Phillips mentions her past experience running such accommodations and notes a lack of inspections today compared to previous years. She highlights that rogue providers receive £100 million annually with no oversight, while DWP welfare recipients face stricter inspection.

  • John Spellar

    Families are being priced out of streets due to high rents and lack of support, leading to the spread of criminal activity. The problems with exempt accommodation are spreading rapidly due to crooks getting involved, ruining neighbourhoods. He calls for action now and asks the Minister when regulations will be brought forward.

  • Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East

    Concerned about a property in Bristol where it took two days for providers to discover someone's body after death; councils lack powers to deal with such issues effectively.

  • Preet Kaur Gill Lab Co-op Birmingham Edgbaston

    Reported rise in crime due to supported housing projects, including drug dealing and substandard living conditions for vulnerable people.

  • Tahir Ali Lab Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley

    Ali asks the Minister for regulations enabling councils to take action against rogue operators permanently. He mentions a case where a closed-down operator re-opened in another constituency, highlighting the need for cross-regional authority.

Government Response

Eddie Hughes

It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of Ms Fovargue. The Minister acknowledges that problems with supported exempt accommodation are serious, impacting both the housing benefit bill and hundreds or possibly thousands of vulnerable individuals across the country. He highlights his personal interest in improving the quality of such accommodation due to previous work experience at YMCA Birmingham. The Government aims to tackle issues within the sector by supporting high-quality providers while addressing rogue providers benefiting from taxpayers' money without providing adequate services for residents. Concerns have been raised about the growth of exempt accommodation causing neighbourhood problems and antisocial behaviour in specific areas. The Minister outlines steps taken by the government, including engaging with Birmingham City Council and local charities to better understand the issues and their impact on communities. A national statement of expectations was published in 2020 setting out the Government's vision for supported housing with higher minimum standards. The Department has provided £5.4 million for a year-long pilot across five local authority areas, bringing together various services to address resident issues and deliver real results. Birmingham developed a charter of rights for residents alongside support reviews and scrutiny of benefit claims. The Minister emphasizes the importance of understanding different interventions' effectiveness through pilots before implementing changes that could negatively impact good-quality providers. He acknowledges some councils' choice in investing staff for inspections, which has led to cutting benefit bills but does not rule out legislation as a potential tool if necessary.

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