The following are summaries of selected full inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during June.
Sheffield Homes
The ALMO provides an 'excellent' Three-star service with excellent prospects for improvement.
Strengths noted in the report include:
Yvonne Davies, Audit Commission Head of Housing and Economic Development for the North, said:
"Sheffield Homes has maintained the high standards of housing services it set in 2005. Services are generally strong across the board. It has introduced new ways of involving and empowering tenants in deciding how to deliver services.
"The vast majority of customers are satisfied with the standard of services provided. The company has strong and effective leadership with a positive track record of improving services by learning from customers and other high performing organisations."
Sheffield Homes is an Arms-length Management Organisation set up in October 2004 to manage and improve over 42,000 homes owned by Sheffield Council. It also provides services to 2,100 leaseholders.
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West North West Homes Leeds
The housing management and maintenance service provided by arms length management organisation (ALMO) represents a 'good' Two-star service which has promising prospects for improvement.
Domini Gunn, the Audit Commission's Lead Housing Inspector for Yorkshire and Humberside, said:
"West North West Leeds has done a lot in the last eighteen months to improve the service from one to two stars.
"It has a strong commitment to service improvement and customers can have confidence that services will continue to get better."
Inspectors made a number of recommendations, including:
West North West Homes Leeds Ltd is an arms length management organisation set up by Leeds City Council in 2007 to manage a third of its housing estates - being some 22,000 homes.
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Other Reports