Audit Commission

The strategic housing service provided by East Dorset District Council is 'poor' and has 'poor prospects for improvement', according to an independent report released today by the Audit Commission.

On a scale from zero to three stars the Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a 'poor', zero-star rating. This is because very few affordable homes have been built and there are weaknesses in the homelessness service. The approach to improving poor-quality owner-occupied and privately rented homes is also weak. Positively, there is now clear and visible political commitment to improving the service.

Kieran Colgan, the Audit Commission's Lead Housing Inspector for the South West, said:
'East Dorset has found it difficult to improve performance in what is a challenging and complex service area. However, we have seen a new appetite among councillors to improve the service and we expect them now to move swiftly to put in place the 'building blocks' to support improvement in the service.'

The inspectors found a number of weaknesses in the service:

• Key services are not delivered with a focus on the needs of customers. Face-to-face access to the service is difficult.
• The range of services for the most vulnerable members of the community is variable.
• Very few new homes have been ‘affordable’.
• The Council is not proactively ensuring that owner-occupied or privately rented homes meet minimum standards, or dealing effectively with empty homes and mobile homes.
• The service does not have a clear understanding of its costs and how they compare with other councils.

The inspectors did, however, identify some strengths. These include:

• There is good work to improve energy efficiency of homes in the area.
• Disabled adaptations are completed quickly.
• The Council works well with private landlords and housing associations to make best use of their homes.

To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:

• Improve opportunities for face-to-face access, the quality of the website and the approach to customer care.
• Develop up-to-date strategies to deliver more affordable homes for local people.
• Improve the quality of the private-sector housing service.

There are 38,000 homes in East Dorset, 84 per cent of which is owner-occupied, with 46 per cent owned outright. The proportion of affordable homes is low, as is the proportion of privately rented homes. Responsibility for strategic housing services is shared by several departments of the Council and the revenue budgets for the services being inspected are estimated to be: £129,300 for private sector housing and enabling new housing development; £97,000 for the administration of disabled facilities grants; and £393,000 for housing the homeless.

There is also a capital budget of £402,000 for disabled facilities grants, of which the Council contributes £161,000 from capital receipts and the remaining £243,000 comes from the government.

Notes to editors

1. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
2. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
3. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people.
4. Further details about the role of the Audit Commission can be obtained from - http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk