The first meeting of a special Housing Inspection Sounding Board, which was set up in response to the Elton Review, took place during April.
Following a recommendation from the Elton Review, which was published last year, the Sounding Board was set up to review and improve the design and delivery of the Audit Commission's approach to inspection across the housing sector and its interaction with the regulatory function of the Housing Corporation.
It will also consult with stakeholders on the design and delivery of the arrangements for inspection and with inspected bodies and other key stakeholders on proposed changes to the Audit Commission's inspection methodology.
Housing Organisations will be able to work through the Sounding Board to provide feedback on Audit Commission inspection. The Board will help identify ways of maximising the positive impact of the Commission's work, particularly in relation to service improvement, value for money, and the communication and adoption of best practice.
There were no local authority Audit Commission inspection reports published during April 07.
A report released by the Audit Commission concludes Co-op Homes (South) Limited is providing poor zero-star housing management services, with promising prospects for improvement.
The inspection found that Co-op Homes has worked hard to improve services over the past year, but from a very low level. Recent improvement work has yet to bring services up to a reasonable standard.
The inspectors found the following:
There were also some positive findings:
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include measures to strengthen the following areas:
Co-op Homes is a charitable housing association formed in 1986. It was under Housing Corporation supervision for five years due to concerns about its governance and financial viability. In December 2005, the Association entered into a group structure and became a subsidiary of Richmond Housing Partnership.
Co-op Homes directly manages 602 properties, of which 326 are permanent homes and 276 are short-life properties. The majority of permanent stock is in West London, while the short-life stock is mainly in West London and East Anglia. Co-op Homes also provides housing management and maintenance services to 22 primary co-ops, which have 750 homes.
The housing management service provided by Eastlands Homes Partnerships Limited was judged to be a good two-star service, with excellent prospects for improvement, according to an Audit Commission inspection report.
Inspectors found:
The report identifies issues needing to be tackled, including:
Eastlands Homes was created in September 2003 following a partial transfer of stock from Manchester City Council. The Association's 2,800 homes are situated in the New East Manchester housing market renewal area.
Audit Commission inspectors concluded that the housing management service provided by Knowsley Housing Trust is a good two-star service, and it has promising prospects for improvement.
The inspectors found:
Issues that need to be tackled include:
Knowsley Housing Trust was created in 2002 following a stock transfer of 17,000 homes from Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
The Association's stock has reduced to approximately 14,000 as a result of demolition, disposal and the Right to Buy. The Association is located in Merseyside in the North West of England.
The landlord service provided by Presentation Housing Association is a fair one-star service, and it has uncertain prospects for improvement, according to a report published by the Audit Commission.
Inspectors found:
Customer service at the first point of contact is generally good. It is easy to report problems, there are modern reception facilities at the head office, and tenants have commented on the helpfulness and politeness of staff.
Estates are in a generally good condition with effective action being taken to tackle antisocial behaviour and provide diversionary activities for younger residents.
Rent payment methods have been extended and performance in reducing rent arrears has improved. But further improvement is necessary for it to match the better performing associations.
Asset management has been a weaker area of the service with the Association performing below that of its peers, although a new strategy to meet the Government's Decent Homes standard was approved shortly after the inspection.
Improvements are being delivered in the servicing of gas appliances and the re-letting of empty homes, but these are against historic levels of weaker performance which impact on the Association's safety and efficiency record.
There are high levels of responsive repairs, empty properties are not being let quickly and rent arrears are higher than average despite recent improvements.
Information about performance has not been routinely made available to tenants, so they cannot compare their landlord's performance with others.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations, including:
Presentation Housing Association was established in 1968. The Association owns nearly 3,800 rented properties and employs almost 150 staff. It works in 21 local authorities across Greater London and the Home Counties.