The first report of the joint Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Select Committee has been published.
The report calls for better quality standards across the sector. Their proposal is a new funding model with a Supported Housing Allowance at the centre and recommends the new Government takes this forward. The committee suggest guaranteeing funding is ring-fenced for the next Parliament. They don't suggest funding for supported housing become a statutory duty for Local Authorities – but do suggest that it is reviewed by the Government to ensure it is comprehensive enough to ensure no vulnerable groups are left behind. The committee does call for the Government to give Local Authorities the time, resource and support to effectively administer changes in future and also recommends they are piloted fully before rollout.
The publication of the Government Green Paper will follow the General Election. We will need to wait for the new Government to respond to the Committee Report.
A link to the full report is here: https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmcomloc/867/86702.htm
Click here to see a summary of the report.
Advance responded to the formal consultation and attended a session of tenants and providers to meet the Committee members and inform their report. Speaking about the report, Ian Gilders, Director of Housing said: 'We welcome the Committee Report as it picks up on a number of issues we raised in our response to the consultation about proposed changes to supported housing by the Government. We will have to wait and see how the new Government responds to the report when they publish their Green Paper which sets out the policy they plan to implement following the consultation. We remain concerned that complicating the funding of supported housing and the increased workload being handed to local authorities will continue to leave uncertainty for providers and tenants of supported housing. We need long-term funding commitments that are simpler to implement and reflect the complex nature of the services we provide and our customers need.'