Section: Best Practices & Standards
Audit Commission Highs and Lows
West Lancashire Council's Tenants Receive a Poor Service
West Lancashire Borough Council is providing a 'poor' housing management service which has 'uncertain' prospects for improvement, according to a report released by the independent Audit Commission.
On a scale from zero to three stars, the Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a zero-star rating. The inspection including repair and improvement of homes, rent collection, dealing with antisocial behaviour, tenant involvement, dealing with empty homes, value for money and sheltered housing.
The inspectors found the following weaknesses:
- Landlord services are not sufficiently customer focused, with few service standards and little learning from tenant feedback.
- The Council does not have a complete understanding of its tenants and their needs. It is therefore unable to tailor its services to meet those needs.
- It takes too long to complete repairs to tenants' homes and appointments are not offered to tenants when they contact the Council.
- Repairs to empty properties take too long, standards are low and there is inadequate monitoring of costs.
- Adaptations for disabled people take too long to complete and there is little information about the service available for tenants.
- Tenants are not involved in developing and monitoring the services.
- The Council cannot be sure that it is getting the best value for money from the services.
Strengths listed in the report include:
- A positive approach to collecting rent by skilled and experienced staff who work with tenants.
- Work with partners, including the police, to tackle antisocial behaviour.
- Effective allocation of Council homes thanks to a clear, widely advertised, lettings policy and help for vulnerable people applying for housing.
To help the service improve inspectors made a number of recommendations, including:
- Develop and implement service standards with tenants so that they know what to expect.
- Involve customers in the planning, delivery and monitoring of services.
- Tackle the speed and quality of repairs to empty homes and how it makes aids and adaptations available to tenants.
- Measure whether it is providing value for money services, including comparisons with other housing providers, and report back to tenants.
- Improve performance management and learning from customer feedback.
- Work in genuine partnership with tenants and other local organisations to improve services.
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St Leger Homes Provides an Excellent Service to Tenants
An Audit Commission report released in December has concluded that the housing management services provided by St Leger Homes are 'excellent' with 'promising' prospects for improvement.
The Audit Commission inspection team gave the organisation, which manages council housing for Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, a three-star rating.
Yvonne Davies, Audit Commission Head of Housing and Economic Development for the North of England said:
"Services provided by St Leger Homes have improved and are more efficient. Residents are well informed and involved in making sure that good quality services are delivered.
"Improvement works to residents' homes are well managed and estates are well maintained.
"The needs of vulnerable people are at the heart of the approach to service delivery and action is taken to make sure that needs are met.
"However, St Leger Homes and the Council need to work together to agree improvement works to some flats and sheltered accommodation."
To help the service improve, inspectors made several recommendations, including:
- work with the Council to establish the long-term future of some sheltered accommodation schemes and improvement works to flats.
- Establish the value for money of services, particularly the responsive repairs service.
- Make sure that all services are fully assessed, so that all tenants and leaseholders can easily access them.
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Other Full Inspection Reports
- Barking and Dagenham LBC: Strategic Housing Services - 'fair' one-star service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Great Yarmouth Community Housing: Housing Management Service - 'fair' one-star service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
- Homes for Haringey: Housing Management Service - 'fair' one-star service with promising prospects for improvement.
