Where a person lives can have a big impact on their health.
Housing is one of the wider determinants of health. Living in poor housing, such as lacking modern facilities, not effectively insulated or heated, or those in disrepair, can all pose a threat to a person’s physical and mental health.
Through engagement with the local community we have learned that the biggest housing concerns facing our residents are:
- Quality of private rented accommodation
- Landlord and tenant relationships and tenants' rights
- Supported housing for young people
- Housing shortages, especially for families with children, people with disabilities and young people leaving care
- Cost of private rented accommodation
- Regeneration
- Homelessness and preventing this
- Neighbourhood safety, security and sense of community
Blackpool Researching Together is working to provide research in areas that will help address some of these concerns.
Research projects
Household Support Fund (HSF) evaluation
The Household Support Fund (HSF) evaluation aims to explore how local authorities in deprived areas have used the Household Support Fund to support food insecure families. The findings will be used to inform local and national policies to help better support people.
This project will focus on areas of high deprivation in the North West of England, specifically Liverpool, Blackpool, Knowsley and Manchester. This study comprises three parts:
- National HSF data will be used to analyse trends and differences in funding allocation to families by the deprivation-level of the local authority
- Detailed case studies of the four local authorities, with the highest levels of deprivation in England, will be developed to outline the range of HSF food insecurity intervention support services funded. We’ll also explore the strategic reasoning behind the decision making
- Explore the impact and lived experience of families receiving support from HSF intervention support services through in-depth interviews
We're proud to be part of such an important piece of work to showcase HSF’s need and continued funding for helping the most vulnerable people in our community.
Find out more about the Household Support Fund evaluation
Environmental hazards mapping
We recently carried out some work on environmental hazards mapping for the Blackpool Council Public Protection team.
The project identified the spatial distribution of housing-related hazards, particularly damp and mould in Blackpool. This was based on routine inspection data gathered by the Environmental Protection team, which monitor 25 types of hazards under the Housing Act.
The findings demonstrated an imbalance between incident location and where officers were based. As a result, footprints covered by officers have been re-defined and teams redeployed in accordance with the level of need, enabling faster response to complaints across Blackpool.
The project also supports the gradual shift in local authority efforts, from reactive enforcement to proactive prevention. By identifying poor housing conditions ‘hotspots’, the council can actually prioritise interventions. There is also the potential to collaborate with health services by linking housing data to NHS datasets to analyse the links with levels of respiratory illnesses and hospital admissions.
Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) evaluation
Working with PHIRST Fusion Research, the team are evaluating who is benefitting most from the CHiL scheme currently and if there are people most in need who are missing out on this opportunity.
Cosy Homes in Lancashire (ChiL) is a countywide initiative delivered by 14 Local Authorities in the region. The ChiL scheme offers guidance and funding to a range of residents including homeowners, renters and landlords to help improve the warmth of their property.
The research conducted by the Blackpool Researching Together team will help ChiL understand who does and doesn’t access their services. They can then use this information to help residents access funding and other kinds of support to warm their homes, resulting in a better service from CHiL for those who need it.
Community co-researchers Sharon, Sandra, Matthew and Riley are all working on this evaluation which will explore three specific grants within the CHiL scheme:
- Home Upgrade Grant 2 (HUG2)
- Winter Warmth
- Affordable Warmth
The CHiL evaluation has now been completed with lots of exciting insights which we are planning to share through various dissemination channels. Firstly, our community co-researchers in collaboration with our academic partners from Newcastle University will be holding a workshop at the Lancashire Affordable Warmth Forum in January 2026. At this event and through other dissemination activities, we hope to further share our learning using a wide range of other creative methods.
Find out more about the Evaluation of Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL)
Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHiP) evaluation
Blackpool is one of several local authorities in England awarded funding for a Supported Housing Improvement Programme.
Supported housing offers accommodation coupled with tailored support services for people with a variety of complex needs, which is important in Blackpool due to the challenges of deprivation and transience.
Working with the Blackpool Council housing team, Blackpool Researching Together are carrying out an evaluation of Blackpool’s Supported Housing provision to:
- Understand socio-demographic characteristics of residents
- Assess key outcomes
- Explore the experiences of providers and residents
Using this information we’re hoping to enhance the quality of the service and make it more beneficial for residents.
Community co-researchers Sandra, Caitlin and Sarah have worked on various stages of the research process including developing an interview guide for residents and staff in the supported housing team and conducting interviews with residents in supported housing in Blackpool.
Initial findings have now been presented to the Blackpool Council housing team and at the Blackpool Supported Accommodation Provider & Operational Management Workshop.
Ongoing work to improve housing conditions
Work is already taking place across the town to improve housing conditions, including:
Guidance and support
The NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Blackpool is part of the NIHR and hosted by Blackpool Council. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making.