Section: Best Practices & Standards
Audit Commission Highs and Lows
Gloucester City Homes is providing an excellent service
The housing management service provided by Gloucester City Homes (GCH) on behalf of Gloucester City Council is 'excellent' with 'excellent prospects for improvement', according to the Audit Commission.
The Commission's inspection team gave the service the highest possible three-star rating.
Strengths noted by inspectors include:
- The number of homes that don't meet the 'decent homes standard' has been reduced significantly and GCH is on track to meet the standard in all properties in 2011.
- Repairs, gas servicing and the reletting of empty homes are all undertaken quickly and to a consistently high standard.
- Rent arrears have been reduced for the fourth year running, and the organisation is effective at collecting rents and service charges. Good support is available to tenants facing financial difficulties.
- The ALMO is tackling antisocial behaviour, working well in partnership with other organisations. This has resulted in fewer incidents of antisocial behaviour.
- Housing estates are well maintained.
Customers can easily contact GCH and gain access to services. Residents are clearly able to influence those services and policies.
- GCH is working hard to become more efficient and offer better value for money for its customers. It has reinvested savings to improve frontline services.
- Customers are very satisfied with most services.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:
- Develop plans with the council to tackle the lack of modern facilities in some sheltered housing schemes.
- Improve the way that aids and adaptations are provided to disabled tenants.
- Work with the council to ensure that land and buildings managed by GCH are used in the best way to meet local housing needs.
GCH is the Arms-length Management Organisation (ALMO) established by Gloucester City Council in December 2005 to manage the services to its tenants and improvements to its housing stock.
This re-inspection followed an earlier inspection in 2007, when the service was judged to be 'good' with 'promising prospects for improvement'.
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Other Full Inspection Reports
- Knowsley Council: Strategic Housing Services - 'fair' one-star service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Venture Housing Association: Housing Management Services - 'fair' one-star service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
- West Lindsey District Council: Strategic Housing Services - 'fair' one-star service with promising prospects for improvement.
