Audit Commission

The housing management service provided by Gloucester City Homes (GCH) on behalf of Gloucester City Council 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 the highest possible three-star rating. This re-inspection followed an earlier inspection in 2007, when the service was judged to be 'good' (two-star) with 'promising prospects for improvement'.

GCH is the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) established by Gloucester City Council in December 2005 to manage the services to its tenants and improvements to its housing stock.

Julie Watts, Audit Commission Lead Housing Inspector, said:

'The new rating reflects the fact that Gloucester City Homes has addressed the recommendations we made in the previous report. It is also focusing clearly on delivering its plans and improving its services. Customers feel that they get value for money from their rent and service charges and are very satisfied with services. We are very pleased to offer Gloucester City Homes as a model of excellence to other housing organisations and as a benchmark of positive practice.'

Strengths include:

• The number of homes that don't meet the 'decent homes standard' has been reduced significantly and GCH is on track to meet the standard in all properties in 2011.
• Repairs, gas servicing and the reletting of empty homes are all undertaken quickly and to a consistently high standard.
• Rent arrears have been reduced for the fourth year running, and the organisation is effective at collecting rents and service charges. Good support is available to tenants facing financial difficulties.
• The ALMO is tackling anti-social behaviour, working well in partnership with other organisations. This has resulted in fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour.
• Housing estates are well maintained.
• Customers can easily contact GCH and gain access to services. Residents are clearly able to influence those services and policies.
• GCH is working hard to become more efficient and offer better value for money for its customers. It has reinvested savings to improve frontline services.
• Customers are very satisfied with most services.

Weaknesses include:

• Some of the sheltered housing schemes lack modern facilities. The service that provides aids and adaptations in the homes of disabled people is not meeting GCH targets.

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

• Develop plans with the council to tackle the lack of modern facilities in some sheltered housing schemes.
• Improve the way that aids and adaptations are provided to disabled tenants.
• Work with the council to ensure that land and buildings managed by GCH are used in the best way to meet local housing needs.

Copies of the report are available from Gloucester City Homes or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. Gloucester City Council established an ALMO called Gloucester City Homes in December 2005 to manage the services to its tenants and improvements to its housing stock. GCH is a company wholly owned by the City Council, and is non-profit making. The Council remains the landlord and tenants remain secure tenants of the authority. The initial five-year management agreement has been extended to 2016. GCH has 104 employees and an annual turnover of £25 million, including a capital programme of £16 million. GCH is managed by an unpaid Board of Directors consisting of four tenants and a leaseholder, five council nominees and five independent members.
2. GCH manages and maintains the whole of Gloucester City Council's housing stock, currently 4,521 rented homes, 257 leasehold flats, 56 shared ownership properties, 590 garages and 14 sheltered or semi-sheltered schemes. In addition, GCH also manages and maintains 23 short-term flats for the homeless.
3. A 19 per cent increase in the number of households within Gloucester is predicted by 2026 and a 43 per cent growth in the number of people over 65 in the next 20 years. The Council has a housing waiting list of 4,907 (August 2010). Single person households now constitute over 29 per cent of all households on the waiting list (51 per cent of these single person households are lone pensioners).
4. 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.

Further details about the role of the Audit Commission can be obtained from www.audit-commission.gov.uk

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