LGA backs mandatory licensing regime for all supported-housing schemes

It was responding to a government consultation on supported housing regulation.

These savings could be recycled to sustain the licensing regime and expand supply if councils were provided with long term sustainable funding to boost supply of supported housing through commissioning, the response said.

Licensing would become less cumbersome if councils were able to rely more on commissioning and contract management to take a risk based approach.

There was also a need for clear definitions of ‘care’, ‘support’ and ‘supervision’, and “robust guidance” to reduce interpretation differences and increase transparency.

The LGA added that civil penalty caps should automatically rise with the Renters Reform Bill increases.

It further proposed that the Government could pilot a supported housing planning use class in areas with high concentrations of supported housing.

The LGA supported a mandatory licensing regime for all supported housing schemes to protect residents and close any loopholes that could be exploited to avoid consistent oversight.

Housing benefit subsidy must be fully recoverable for licensed schemes regardless of whether the provider is a registered provider or a charity, the association said.

It also called for multi-year new burdens funding for councils to properly resource inspections, enforcement, prevention and new multi-disciplinary teams.

Consistency could be better achieved, and duplication avoided, if there was a single digital licensing portal and national register to flag enhanced housing benefit claims for supported housing.

Mark Smulian