The strategic housing services delivered by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are judged to be 'fair', with 'promising 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 fair, one-star rating. Services that were covered by the inspection include work to deliver new housing in the borough, improve housing conditions and provide adaptations for disabled people.
The inspection identified a number of strengths in the approach to strategic housing, including a sound understanding of the local housing market and a strong focus on the quality and sustainability of new housing schemes. However, there are still some gaps in the Council's housing policies and plans. There has been limited progress in delivering the number of homes needed to meet local housing needs and improving the condition of the borough's housing.
Sára Kulay, the Audit Commission's Head of Housing and Economic Development for London, said:
'Barking and Dagenham is delivering its strategic housing role in a challenging context, with significant housing development expected over the next 20 years. Improving the condition of council housing is also a pressing priority, with about one-third of the Council's homes yet to meet the Decent Homes standard. The Council is doing some good work to address these issues, such as taking steps to ensure that the right infrastructure is in place to promote sustainable communities. However, further work is needed to strengthen some aspects of its partnership working and to address gaps in its approach to housing strategy development and value for money. Positively, steps are already being taken to address most of the weaknesses we identified. Strong leadership of the service and an increased focus on new ways of working give us every confidence that the Council is well-placed to make improvements.'
The inspectors found the following strengths:
- An ambitious vision for housing is at the heart of plans to regenerate the borough and promote sustainable communities.
- Robust planning guidance is helping to maximise the level of affordable homes included in new housing developments.
- New housing in the borough is well-designed, with homes offering good sized accommodation.
However, inspectors also identified weaknesses which need to be addressed:
- There has been limited progress in enabling the level of new housing needed to meet local needs and in improving the condition of council-owned and private sector homes.
- Management of the Council adaptations service is weak, with a lack of customer focus and some poor examples of partnership working.
- The approach to value for money and diversity across the service is underdeveloped.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:
- improving consultation to ensure the views of partners and the community more effectively inform future housing priorities and proposals;
- developing a value for money and procurement framework for the strategic housing service, including a better understanding of the relationship between costs and quality; and
- ensuring new housing strategies and plans are more robust, for example, by integrating key milestones and risk management arrangements.
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a small, outer London borough in the east of London. It has a population of 166,900 people. Over half of homes in the borough are owner-occupied and just over a quarter are owned by the Council. Since 2001, the level of private rented housing in the borough has doubled from 5.2 to 10 per cent of homes.
The Council's plans for regeneration include a considerable increase in new housing over the next 20 years, mainly in Barking and Dagenham town centres and the Barking Riverside and Dagenham South areas. Copies of the full report are available from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports
Notes to editors
- 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.
For further information please contact: Chloe Morales Oyarce, Regional Communications Manager (London) on 0844 798 2095