In July 1998, the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed the creation of a Housing Inspectorate. We were subsequently set up as part of the Best Value Inspection Service within the Audit Commission.
We formally started our work on 1 April 2000, when the Best Value element of the Local Government Act 1999 came into operation. This annual review has been prepared to mark the successful completion of our first year of operation. It has been a challenging and rewarding period. We began our first inspection in July 2000 and, in the year since that date, 111 inspections started on site and we have published 47 reports.
Published reports have generated considerable coverage in the housing press and a great deal of interest among tenants, housing staff and councillors. We welcome the interest following the publication of our reports, and the subsequent debate they have triggered. It is only by informed debate on the findings of our inspections, and about the work of authorities, that approaches to achieving excellence will be developed, identified and replicated throughout the housing sector.
This annual review does not primarily focus on what we have done, but on how local authorities we have inspected have responded to Best Value. In particular, it highlights examples of positive practice that others should consider as they develop their housing services.