Audit Commission

The housing service provided by Poole Housing Partnership is 'excellent', with 'excellent 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 an 'excellent', three star rating. This is because customer satisfaction is high for services that are easy to access and increasingly tailored to the needs of individual tenants. The repairs and maintenance service is very effective; anti-social behaviour is addressed well; and the service provides very good value for money.

Kieran Colgan, Audit Commission Lead Housing Inspector for the South West, said:
'Since our last inspection Poole Housing Partnership has continued to raise the bar for excellent performance. They know exactly what their tenants want and have a tenacious focus on delivering it. There are very few social housing providers who cannot learn from the example set here.

Strengths include:

• Tenants express very high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of the service and resident involvement is very well developed.
• It is easy to access services; there is high-quality written information and internet access; and the service is consistently customer-focused.
• Performance on income collection is strong.
• Performance on repairs, reletting empty homes and carrying out annual gas safety checks is strong.
• Resident involvement is well developed. It is clear that tenants have a real say over the policies and practices of PHP.
• There is a particularly proactive approach to building community cohesion and tackling the root causes of anti-social behaviour.
• The leadership and culture of value for money throughout the organisation is very strong. PHP is delivering a value for money service with a high degree of cost awareness and a strong focus on delivering value for money improvements in each service.

Poole Council has set up the Poole Housing Partnership (PHP), to undertake the landlord functions of its housing service for its 4,688 tenants, and 521 leaseholders. The initial agreement with PHP began in April 2004 and is for five years, with an option to renew for a further five years. Key areas of spending in the 2008/09 budget are £4.3 million on management and administration, £7.8 million on repairs and maintenance and £418,000 on other costs including sheltered housing, cleaning and the right to buy.

The service is provided by six managers and over 90 directly employed staff, as well as private contractors who undertake repairs, planned maintenance, caretaking and other services.

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, covering £180 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 people.