Audit Commission

Access for residents to the services provided by Hart District Council is 'fair', 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 judged access to services to be 'fair', with a one-star rating. This was because access has improved since 2005, when this aspect of the Council's work was last inspected. For example, telephone calls are answered more quickly, the website is well designed, and there is better physical access to council buildings. However, there is still more for the Council to do to improve access to its services.

Linda Krywald, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
'We were pleased to see that the Council took action following our last inspection in 2005, and that services are now more accessible to local people. It is easier now to make contact either by phone or computer, buildings are more accessible, and council officers are out and about in the community listening to what the public has to say. However, not all the changes are working as effectively as they might be. For example, the 'contact centre', through which most telephone calls are channelled, is not yet able to deal directly with enquiries about the full range of council services.'

Strengths include:

• Consultation and communication with the public has improved through the development of the citizens’ panel and through the exhibitions and road shows held in various parts of the district.
• Community support officers are working effectively in the more disadvantaged parts of the district to help local people access council services.
• Good links have been developed between the District Council and voluntary groups, and with town and parish councils.

Areas for improvement include:

• People’s experience of contacting the Council by phone, letter or email is variable and the Civic Centre reception area is confusing and not user-friendly.
• Standards of service that the public can expect are not in place or communicated well for all services.
• The telephone contact centre is limited in the services it provides and, as a result, has not given value for money.

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

• Improve the Council’s understanding of local people’s needs and views, by better coordinating the available information and by providing better feedback to the citizens’ panel about actions taken in response to surveys.
• Improve customer care by ensuring policies and plans focus on the needs of users, and by making sure that staff put the needs of the customer first.
• Evaluate the impact of services on users and assess the relative costs - to ensure that the best use is made of the Council’s limited financial and staff resources.

Access to services is a cross-cutting theme, involving all Council departments. The purpose of this inspection was to follow up on progress since an earlier inspection in 2005. Local people can access the council’s services at a number of points across the district. These include the neighbourhood centre in Hook, and the civic centre and Harlington Centre in Fleet. In 2006, the Council set up a contact centre which acts mainly as a single point of contact for the waste management service, but also handles general telephone enquiries, transferring calls to other departments as necessary.

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