Audit Commission

The strategic housing service provided by Boston Borough Council is 'poor' with 'uncertain 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, which covers areas such as housing advice and homelessness, a 'poor' zero-star rating. The Council is not meeting local housing needs and is not doing enough to involve customers in developing the service.

Ann Bennett, Audit Commission Lead Housing Inspector for the East Midlands, said:
'Boston Borough Council has committed itself to improving its strategic housing service but significant challenges remain. Revised strategies and policies have yet to produce any real benefits for customers. The Council has only recently begun to put in the resources necessary to enable it to meet its priorities in this area. This, together with a failure to ensure value for money, means that its prospects for improvement can only be described as 'uncertain'.'

Weaknesses include:

• The Council does not systematically involve customers in developing its services and there are no service standards
• Applications for housing grants take too long to process and there is a large backlog
• The Council is not doing enough work with the private sector, including the registration of houses in multiple occupation and reducing the number of empty properties
• The Council has been slow to address equality and diversity issues However, there were some strengths which included:
• The Council provides a good range of easily accessible information and advice about services
• Housing advice and work on preventing homelessness has reduced the number of homeless households in the borough
• An above average number of high-quality affordable homes are being built

Recommendations include:

• Providing clear information about the level of service that customers can expect
• Improving and demonstrating value for money
• Speeding up the assessment and payment of grant claims

Notes to editors

1. Boston Borough Council’s strategic housing service has responsibility for housing advice and homelessness. It also manages grant aid and works with housing associations and developers to improve the supply of housing. It also works with Boston Mayflower Housing Association to provide a choice-based lettings service.
2. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Further details about the role of the Audit Commission can be obtained from - http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk