Section: Best Practices & Standards
LA Stars
South Kesteven District Council
An Audit Commission report in July concluded that the
landlord service provided by South Kesteven District Council is 'poor' and has 'uncertain' prospects for improvement. The inspection team gave the service a poor Zero-star rating.
The report concludes that the service does not provide clear customer information; performance in some areas, such as repairs, is weak; and residents are not involved effectively in important areas of the service.
Weaknesses identified include:
- The Council lacks the strategy and information necessary for it to target investment in its housing stock.
- Tenants have to wait too long to have their repairs carried out.
- The Council has not assessed who is not using the service and so cannot identify the reasons for this or make access easier.
- The Council is inconsistent in the way it deals with antisocial behaviour and estate management.
- Its lack of understanding of housing service costs mean that it cannot be sure if the service provides value for money.
On the positive side, the report also shows that:
- Homes are relet promptly.
- A high proportion of homes have been assessed as meeting the Government's Decent Homes Standard.
- Estates are generally well maintained.
Recommendations made in the report include:
- Developing clear service standards and service information for customers.
- Improving repairs performance, including the time taken to complete repairs and the proportion of appointments kept.
- Dealing more consistently with reports of antisocial behaviour.
- Ensuring that residents are more effectively involved in the development and scrutiny of services.
- Improving the way performance is monitored, managed and reported.
Other Reports
Other local authority inspection reports issued during July included:
- Dover District Council (Strategic Housing Services): One-star fair service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
- Greenwich LBC (Repairs and Maintenance Inspection): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Teesdale District Council (Strategic Housing Services): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
RSL Performers
Registered social landlord inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during July 2008 included:
- Halton Housing Trust (Housing Management Services): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Raven Housing Trust (Housing Management Services): Two-star good service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Saxon Weald Homes (Housing Management Services): Two-star good service with excellent prospects for improvement.
