Birmingham City Council members have laid bare the grim reality of life inside and near poorly run exempt supported properties, sharing stories of drug wars, machete fights, pimps, brothels, bullying, and degrading behaviour. The debate, held on Tuesday, July 14, highlighted a 'plague on our city,' according to Conservative Councillor Gareth Moore of Erdington.
Surge in Exempt Properties
Birmingham has experienced an unprecedented surge in exempt properties, with providers now operating over 12,000 properties and receiving massively hiked housing benefits for more than 32,000 people. The vast majority have no connection to the city, councillors said. In just eight years, the number of people living in supported exempt accommodation has tripled from around 11,000 to over 32,900.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Deborah Harries of Yardley West described how a small cul-de-sac in Stechford was transformed by a single exempt property: 'I have had tenants running down the streets naked, using gardens as toilets, waving machetes about in the early hours of the morning... as well as the common or garden anti-social behaviour so many struggle with every day such as drug activity and overspilling bins.' Police and paramedics regularly attend to resolve drug- and alcohol-fuelled fights, she said.
Chaos from One Property
Within one month of a former family home being converted into a five-room exempt property, neighbours faced door-knocking, street approaches for money, and armed police responding to a domestic violence incident. Drunken shouting, drug dealing, and aggressive gaming prevented residents from sleeping. The house was trashed, two evictions occurred, and an ex-prisoner left voluntarily after a few days because the environment hindered his rehabilitation. Councillor Harries noted this highlighted the 'lack of support' given to tenants, despite providers receiving benefits on that premise.
Councillor Marcus Bernasconi, Labour, North Edgbaston, reported similar issues on Hagley Road, including sex workers with a 'revolving door of clients' through the night on a family street. He alleged that some providers have referred to council staff as 'a soft touch' when getting new claims through.
System Exploitation
Councillor Majid Mahmood, Independent, Bromford and Hodge Hill, said tenants were not to blame but rather 'a system that has allowed a minority of providers to exploit the sector.' He called for a council tax levy on exempt providers to cover extra waste collection, street cleaning, and enforcement costs. His colleague Councillor Diane Donaldson added that residents are not opposed to supporting vulnerable people but are concerned about 'the cumulative impact on neighbourhoods where large numbers of properties are concentrated... without sufficient safeguards, enforcement or resources.'
Conservative Councillor Ken Wood of Sutton Walmley and Minworth noted that if properly managed, exempt properties 'can make a huge and valuable difference to those vulnerable people who need support.' Reform Councillor Alan Feeney of Shard End welcomed good provision but objected to 'the lack of control and unscrupulous developers exploiting planning loopholes, raking in excessive profits and hollowing out our residential streets.' He accused other local authorities of dumping people in Birmingham and 'essentially just sitting there and laughing at us.'
Council's Response and Government Inaction
The full council resolved to write to the Government's Local Government, Housing and Communities Secretary with fresh demands. New regulations approved three years ago are still out for consultation. Birmingham City Council has issued a statement defending its record: 'The council has a specialist multi-disciplinary team that investigates concerns about substandard practice in the supported exempt accommodation sector. This team has strengthened support provision, tackled antisocial behaviour and crime, improved property standards, and saved taxpayers £8.7 million to date by refusing enhanced Housing Benefit claims where care, support or supervision has not been evidenced.'
The council also operates a voluntary accreditation scheme and noted that the Department for Work and Pensions has shared its good practice with other councils. However, they acknowledged that 'more needs to be done nationally to monitor and scrutinise the sector as the existing powers the council has are insufficient. Additional powers are needed to prevent poor practice and raise standards in Birmingham.'
