The housing management services provided by Daventry and District Housing Association are 'good' and have '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 a 'good' two-star rating. The report shows that some areas, such as home improvements and tackling anti-social behaviour, are performing very well. But the Association could do more around collecting information on tenants and engaging with leaseholders.
Ann Bennett, the Audit Commission's Lead Housing Inspector for the East Midlands said:
'Daventry and District Housing Association has done well in areas that matter most to tenants, such as the condition of their homes. This has led to improvements in overall satisfaction. There are a few key areas, such as its approach to handling complaints and telephone calls, that have been slower to improve. But the Association has this in hand, and we have every confidence that it will continue to improve.'
Strengths include:
- Services are accessible, with a range of good quality information available to residents.
- Residents can get involved in developing and improving the services they receive.
- Homes and estates are well maintained and satisfaction with the repairs service is high.
Areas for improvement include:
- Telephone calls are not being answered quickly enough.
- Complaints are not being managed effectively or responded to quickly.
Recommendations include:
- Improving the aids and adaptations service by advertising it and making it more responsive to tenants.
- Introducing more challenging targets for answering phone calls and ensuring they are met.
- Improving the management of the complaints system so that complaints are dealt with more quickly.
Notes to editors
- Daventry and District Housing Association, now part of Futures Housing Group, was set up in November 2007 to receive homes transferred from Daventry District Council. It owns and manages around 3,100 properties, dispersed evenly throughout the towns and rural areas of Daventry. Around 2200 are general needs, with the remainder for people with support needs and older people.
- The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
- 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.
- 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.
For more information, or for an embargoed copy of the report, contact Eric Ludlow on 0844 7098 4183