Recommendation 12

The Act will introduce several new measures that will increase powers for local authorities to have more control over supported housing in their areas. During the DLUHC funded pilot schemes for the Supported Housing Improvement Programme, local authorities were able to test ideas to improve supported housing in their areas, thereby allowing them to use and pass on the learning from the pilots when the Act is brought into force.21 Alongside developing national supported housing standards, the Act will require new duties of local authorities that will include developing supported housing strategies and an option to introduce licensing schemes for providers.22 The Act places significant new burdens on local authorities—who are already struggling with resources and capacity —to undertake these new duties. DLUHC has committed to a wide consultation to assess how it will best support local authorities to fund these new powers and responsibilities, including assessing whether local authorities will need new burdens funding to help with costs.23 Lack of reliable data