A spokesperson from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has warned that charging tenants for supported housing services was 'not within the spirit of the Supporting People programme.' Local authorities were urged to take a hard line with Supporting People providers that charge vulnerable people top-up payments to meet budget shortages.
A quarterly Government report on the Supporting People programme claimed that providers from at least 67 local authority areas are charging their tenants for housing support services. The study found that the number of providers charging service users more than the subsidy paid by the commissioning council rose by 81% between 2004 and 2005.
However, the Government would find it difficult to enforce restrictions on providers because increases in rent and support costs are dictated by the tenancy agreements between associations and service users.
The Community Health and Care Services white paper was published, making a range of proposals that include:
