UNREGULATED drug rehab services and bedsits in Boscombe were the subject of a lively debate at a packed meeting.

The Boscombe Forum meeting at Kings Park Primary School heard that the area hosted one ‘home detox’ methadone service, two residential rehabs – the Providence Project and Quinton House – and an unknown quantity of ‘supported housing’ for people with addiction issues, disabilities, mental health issues, housing issues and other problems.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood said he was lobbying the government for a Bill “to allow councils to have powers on planning to check the amount of single-bed accommodation in an area”.

He said he intended the drug rehab manag-ement bill to also tackle the abuse of housing benefit by unscrupulous land-lords.

There was some debate over the extent of regulation of the various supported housing ser-vices in the area.

Forum vice-chairman Harry Seccombe said they were exempt from inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

“It is not clear whether these third-stage houses, which are unregulated, are even beneficial to the people staying there, and they have an effect on the community,” he said.

However Karen Wood – Bournemouth council’s drugs and alcohol manager – said new legislation due to be implemented next year would make “recovery houses” subject to CQC oversight.

The authority’s housing manager Kelly Ansell said she was aware of 21 places of supported accommodation in Boscombe, comprising 203 units.