The landlord service provided by Warwick District Council is poor and has uncertain prospects for improvement, according to the first of two reports on the Council 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. The inspection revealed a range of weaknesses including long delays in answering phone calls, and failure to complete emergency and urgent repairs on time. There were also problems around letting empty homes quickly and collecting rent.
Audit Commission senior manager Deborah Good, said:
‘It was disappointing to find such significant weaknesses. We inspected different parts of the housing service and found none to be of an adequate standard. Weaknesses in managing performance and a patchy record of improvement to date mean that prospects for improvement are currently ‘uncertain’. To its credit, the Council has responded positively to the inspection and a comprehensive improvement programme is now in development. Stronger leadership and an increased focus on managing performance should start to bring about the improvements that tenants deserve.'
Weaknesses include:
- Problems in accessing services and inadequate systems to ensure staff can provide a comprehensive and customer focused response to residents.
- Limited involvement of tenants in services and a weak approach to measuring satisfaction.
- Poor performance in collecting rent and recovering rent arrears.
- Weak performance in completing repairs and maintenance work on time, with too many repairs requiring more than one visit.
- Delays in carrying out major adaptations to tenants’ homes and inadequate information for residents awaiting adaptations.
Strengths include:
- Consistent investment in property improvements and some strong aspects of customer care in carrying out these works.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a range of recommendations to address the weaknesses identified.
Notes to editors
- Warwick District Council owns and manages 5,662 rented homes. Annual revenue expenditure for the service is approximately £21 million with a capital programme of approximately £6 million.
- 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.
- On 13 August 2010 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced that he plans to disband the Audit Commission. His intention is to have new arrangements in place for auditing England's public bodies by 2012/13.
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