Recommendation 14

The Government has no idea how much taxpayer money is spent on exempt accommodation, nor what this money is spent on. It cannot know whether the current system is delivering value for money. Millions of pounds are being poured into exempt housing benefit with no guarantee that vulnerable residents will get the support they need. In some cases, vulnerable residents who are likely to have low incomes have to pay for support out of their own pockets. It is quite possible that the Government does not need to spend more on exempt accommodation but to spend more wisely.