Audit Commission

The strategic housing service provided by West Somerset 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 a 'poor', zero-star rating. This is because services are not always focused on the needs of customers. Vulnerable people, such as those living in temporary accommodation or in unsuitable or poor housing, do not receive a good service. And the number of new homes built, especially affordable housing, is not meeting needs.

Kieran Colgan, the Audit Commission's Lead Housing Inspector for the South West, said: 'Since our last inspection there have been some significant improvements in the strategic housing service. While this is positive, service quality still falls below the standard that local people expect and deserve. The Council now has a clear focus on improving the service but it needs to do more with partner organisations to turn its ambition into a reality.'

The inspectors found a number of weaknesses in the service:

• Services are not always focused on customers' needs. For example, telephone access can be difficult.
• Plans for improving poor-quality private sector homes are weak.
• Despite improvement, the number of new homes built, especially affordable housing, is not meeting needs.
• Services to vulnerable people, such as those living in temporary accommodation or unsuitable housing, still fall well short of the best-performing councils.
• The Council has had little success in returning empty homes to use.

The inspectors did, however, identify some strengths:

• Face-to-face contact with staff is easy and a satisfactory range of information is available to local people.
• Access to social housing is now easier and the Council is more effective at preventing homelessness.
• Grants to help disabled people adapt their homes are now well managed and more is being done to ensure privately rented homes are safe.

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

• Improve the focus on customers by, for example, improving telephone answering and ensuring all local people can access services easily.
• Improve the quality of the service's plans.
• Make better use of the existing housing - for example, by improving its energy efficiency.

Notes to editors

1. West Somerset is a rural area on the south west coast of England with two-thirds of the area and one fifth of the population within the Exmoor National Park. Minehead is the biggest town with a population of over 12,000. The proportion of over 65 year olds (33 per cent) is almost twice the national average and almost 23 per cent of the population have a limiting long-term illness. The BME population is small (0.8 per cent). The population is expected to reach 39,600 by 2026 (from 35,500 at present) and the number of households is expected to increase from 16,000 in 2006 to 20,000 in 2026.
2. Low and seasonal wages and part-time working associated with tourism and agriculture account for the district being rated as the 106th (out of 354) most deprived in England and Wales. Average earnings are over 15 per cent below the national average. Almost one fifth of households in the district are in fuel poverty. Unemployment compares with the national average during off-season periods but the number of jobs available is decreasing.
3. West Somerset is the smallest council in England measured against population. The Council came under control of an independent administration in May 2007 - there are 15 Independent coalition councillors, 13 Conservative and 3 unaligned to any group.
4. There are almost 18,000 homes in the area. Owner occupation in West Somerset is slightly higher than that for England as a whole and the proportion of privately rented stock (14 per cent) is slightly higher. The stock condition survey in 2008 revealed that an estimated 8 per cent (or 5,500) of properties are empty which is significantly higher than the national average (3.3 per cent). Over 26 per cent) of the stock fails to meet minimum standards (the Decent Homes Standard), with a total cost to make decent of £34.9 million. Category one hazards were found in 5.2 per cent of the stock. The average SAP* rating for local homes is 48 with 21.5 per cent of homes having a SAP less than 35 - meaning that these occupants are likely to experience excessive cold. One fifth of households are in fuel poverty.
5. The area straddles two housing markets: the Northern Peninsula Strategic Housing Market Assessment estimates the net annual need for affordable housing to be 271 dwellings across West Somerset while the Somerset Strategic Housing Market Assessment estimates the annual need for affordable housing to be 269 dwellings. Affordability is a key issue; the average house price in West Somerset is £239,935, which is 10.6 times the average salary. Many local people cannot therefore afford to buy in the area. During 2008/9, 181 households applied as homeless to the Council and 18 were accepted as having a priority need. During the same year, there were 85 council nominations to housing associations homes, 11 nominations for new build affordable homes to rent and 9 affordable homes were completed to buy. There are over 18,000 people registered on the county-wide shared housing register and allocation to social housing is delivered through a county-wide Choice-Based Lettings system. The main housing association in West Somerset owns and manages 1869 properties in the area and relets about 160 new homes each year.
6. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
7. 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.
8. 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.

* This is a government-specified energy rating for a dwelling which is expressed on a 1-120 scale. The higher the number, the better the standard.

For further information, or for an embargoed copy of the full report, please contact: Callum Collins, Senior Regional Communications Manager (Southern) Tel: 0844 798 8844.