Blackpool’s supported housing quality standards toolkit

Blackpool Council publishes a quality standards self-assessment toolkit (opens in a new tab) for supported housing. The council describes it as a toolkit “for accommodation providers and landlords, to reflect the standards we expect providers of supported housing in Blackpool to attain” (supported housing page (opens in a new tab)). The council says its part in the 2020/21 supported housing pilot, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, led to changes in how it manages supported housing, and lists the toolkit among them. Blackpool was later awarded £1,319,000 under the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (opens in a new tab).

Three levels

Every element in the toolkit is marked with one of three levels:

• Legal minimum: what the law already requires, such as fitness for human habitation, gas safety, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and HMO management duties.
• Minimum standard: what the council expects, such as a fire risk assessment, clear repair procedures, consistent support, and support plans with regular reviews.
• Best practice: what the council encourages every provider to aim for, such as psychologically informed design and tenancy sustainment workshops.

The toolkit is a self-assessment; the page describes no score or award. It lists 102 rows, or 101 distinct elements: it skips element 1.1.1, lists 1.1.10 twice (once at each of two levels), and uses the number 3.3.3 for two different elements.

What it covers, and how it maps to the National Standards

The toolkit has three quality areas: accommodation, tenant support, and organisation and staff. The table shows how each of its ten standards overlaps the National Supported Housing Standards. The mapping is ours, not the council’s. Most of standard 1.2 (regulations and standards) is property law and has no National Standards equivalent.

Opening a new scheme in Blackpool

The council also runs a phased process for new schemes (opens in a new tab), from Phase 0 (an enquiry form) to Phase 6. It includes a check that there is local need for the client group, planning checks, and property visits from housing enforcement and, where required, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service “before any tenants are placed”. Tenants move in and Housing Benefit claims are submitted only once every phase is complete.

The council’s supported housing page also mentions a charter of rights for tenants. We could not find the charter itself published on the council website.

In Stedwise

Organisations with an address in Blackpool can score themselves against the toolkit as its own rule set, labelled Local scheme. It is never merged with the National Standards. Every criterion is the council’s wording, copied from the toolkit page. The weights are ours: best practice counts half. Stedwise is independent and not endorsed by Blackpool Council.