Wolverhampton Homes is giving tenants an 'excellent' service 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 organisation, which manages Wolverhampton City Council's 21,000 homes, an 'excellent' three-star rating. The 'excellent' with 'excellent prospects' score, the highest that can be awarded, was given because Wolverhampton Homes puts its customers at the centre of its activities and listens to what they say.
Deborah Good, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
'Wolverhampton Homes is providing high-quality services and has made wide-ranging improvements that make a real difference to customers and their homes. We were particularly impressed with the way that customers are influencing services and with the value for money that Wolverhampton Homes is achieving. Its strong track record gives us great confidence that customers will see even more improvements in the future.'
Strengths include:
- Wolverhampton Homes is strongly committed to customer care. Its services are easy to access and customer satisfaction is high.
- Wolverhampton Homes is supporting a range of activities that are increasing employment and training opportunities for local people.
- Improvements to tenants' homes are carried out in a very customer-focused way with good support for vulnerable and disabled tenants.
- Disabled tenants who need adaptations to their homes receive a prompt service.
- Wolverhampton Homes is doing well at collecting income from tenants and leaseholders and it is making sure that they have access to good quality money advice.
- The appearance of estates and blocks of flats is very positive and supported by effective estate inspections.
Weaknesses include:
- Customer satisfaction with complaints handling is relatively low.
- Communal areas in some flats are not fully accessible to disabled people.
Recommendations include:
- working with partners and service users to strengthen the overall approach to hate crime and financial inclusion in the city; and
- monitoring more effectively the impact and results of adaptations and of work done to address antisocial behaviour.
Notes to editors
- Wolverhampton Homes manages Wolverhampton City Council's 21,296 tenanted homes and provides services to its 1933 leaseholders under an agreement which began in October 2005. It provides housing management and maintenance services, delivers a major home improvement programme and allocates vacant homes. It employs 756 staff and had a capital budget of £57 million in 2010/11.
- 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 more details about the role of the Audit Commission visit www.audit-commission.gov.uk
For more informationn, or for a copy of the full report, contact Eric Ludlow, Communications manager for Central and Eastern England, on 0844 798 4183.