An Audit Commission report concluded that Blaby District Council's repairs and maintenance service is a zero-star poor service with promising prospects for improvement.
Weaknesses noted in the report include:
The report also notes strengths, including:
The report's recommendations include:
Southwark Council's Supporting People service was rated as good with excellent prospects for improvement. The Audit Commission inspection report awarded the service a two-star rating.
Inspectors found:
Inspectors made a number of recommendations, including:
In addition to the above two reports, the Audit Commission issued a number of other local authority reports during November 2006, including:
Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council (Supporting People):
One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
Hertfordshire County Council (Supporting People):
Zero-star poor service with promising prospects for improvement.
Suffolk Coastal District Council (Strategic Housing Services):
One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
Audit Commission housing association inspection reports released during November 2006 included the following:
Ashiana Housing Association:
One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
Equity Housing Association:
One-star fair service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
Communities Scotland, in its role as housing regulator, published three key documents, which provide the framework for its revised approach to the regulation and inspection of social landlords in Scotland:
The Regulatory Code of Practice for Communities Scotland
Published on behalf of Scottish Ministers, this sets out the policy framework for Communities Scotland's approach to regulating and inspecting social landlords to promote quality and improvement.
Performance Standards
The Performance Standards let tenants, other service users, and stakeholders know what standards to expect from social landlords, and let landlords know how they should manage and deliver housing services. Jointly agreed with COSLA and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), and first published five years ago, Communities Scotland has reviewed and updated the Performance Standards so that they continue to be relevant.
Regulatory Code of Governance
The Regulatory Code of Governance sets out Communities Scotland's regulatory expectations for the governance of registered social landlords (RSLs). Communities Scotland consulted widely on the Code, which is framed around the principles set out in the Good Governance Standards for Public Services (the Langlands Principles). RSLs will be able to use the supporting guidance and self-assessment questions to consider how they can apply the principles set out in the Code to meet their particular circumstances. Communities Scotland will publish details of how it will implement the revised framework early in 2007.