Audit Commission

The strategic housing service provided by South Cambridgeshire District Council is 'good', 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, which covers areas such as homelessness and affordable housing, a 'good', two-star rating. The report shows that the Council understands the local housing market and is committed to meeting the needs of both settled and travelling communities. 

Mark Elsworth, the Lead Housing Inspector for the East of England, said:

'South Cambridgeshire faces the challenge of meeting the needs of new and rural communities as well as settled and travelling households.  But it has a good understanding of what housing is required and is also particularly strong in preventing and managing homelessness.  The Council needs to improve some areas, especially improving poor quality private sector housing and bringing empty homes back into use. But it already has plans to address most of the weaknesses we found. It has strong leadership and is planning well for new national housing policies, so we are confident that prospects for the Council and residents will continue to improve.'

Strengths include:

• A solid approach to providing housing to match local needs.
• Increasingly effective community consultation about housing plans.
• Making sure that the right level of affordable housing is provided and that scheme design supports long term community sustainability.
• Particularly strong performance in providing new affordable housing in rural villages.
• An increase in households prevented from becoming homeless and reductions in the number of homeless people placed in temporary accommodation.
• Strong skills, partnership working and effective planning that help to build capacity for improvement.

Weaknesses include:

• More work needs to be done around providing adaptations to the homes of vulnerable people.
• Services are not uniformly accessible.
• Performance management is weak in some areas.

Recommendations include:

• developing a strategy which clearly sets out for local people what the Council is seeking to achieve;
• providing easier access to services and better information about them;
• checking whether services are delivered in a fair way;
• improving value for money; and
• strengthening performance management.  

Copies of the full report are available from South Cambridgeshire District Council or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
2. 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.
3. 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.