Purpose

The Supported Housing (Regulatory
Oversight) Act 2023 places a statutory requirement on all Local
Authorities in England to create and implement a Supported Housing
Strategy.

To support this, MHCLG has
allocated £39 million for Local Authorities to develop their
strategies between 2025 and 2029.  Of this, £19 million has been designated
for 2025/26 to enable authorities to assess the current provision
of all types of supported housing in their area and forecast the
likely level of need over the five years following publication of
the strategy.

The Council has been allocated
£61,139 of new burdens grant funding, set out in a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU).  Upon signing of the MoU (Appendix 1) and acceptance of the new burdens funding,
MHCLG will issue a Grant Determination letter setting out the
financial terms and conditions under Section 31 grants.

The Council will then commit to
spending the full allocation by the end of the 2026/27 financial
year.

Content

(i)    
The
Council approves the acceptance of £61,139 in new burdens
grant funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local
Government (MHCLG).

(ii)  
That the
Council agree to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with MHCLG
which describes the agreed working relationship between MHCLG and
the Council regarding the administration and expenditure the grant
funding.

(iii)
That Spend
of Supported Housing grant monies is delegated to the Strategic
Director of Housing, Environment & Estates in consultation with
the Deputy Executive Leader (Growth, Housing and Homelessness)
Executive Member (Finance and Resources)

(iv)
That
approval be given to appoint consultants already appointed to
undertake a supported housing needs assessment to use this emerging
evidence and information to develop the Supported Housing Strategy
in line with MHCLG timescales

 

Reasons for the decision

To obtain approval to accept the
allocated funding and to ensure delivery against the intended
objectives as outlined in the report.

 

Alternative options considered

The option to decline the grant
funding was considered but ultimately discounted, as the
implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act
2023 places a statutory requirement on Tameside Council to produce
and deliver a supported housing strategy.