Audit Commission

The housing landlord service provided by 1066 Housing Association is ‘fair’ and has ‘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 one star. This is because services are accessible to tenants, housing estates are generally clean and tidy, the new maintenance partnering contract for repairs has delivered improved services and rent collection is effective. However, too many telephone calls from tenants are lost or go unanswered, complaints handling is weak and insufficient work has been done to address the needs of the small BME community. There are also weaknesses in the prioritisation of repairs and a lack of transparency in the calculation of service charges.

Patrick Mooney, the Audit Commission's Head of Housing for the South Region, said:
‘1066 Housing Association provides a fair service in what is a relatively deprived and challenging part of the South East. The association has concentrated on improving the environment of its estates and stabilising its communities, and this is now paying dividends. It has invested substantially in new IT systems that should improve its service provision. ‘The Association now needs to improve its performance management culture and develop the capacity of its Board and involved residents so that they are more effective. There are service weaknesses, such as complaints handling and maintenance programming, that need to be addressed.’

The inspectors found:

• friendly and helpful staff;
• estates that are in generally good condition;
• effective handling of anti-social behaviour and rent collection;
• a new responsive repairs partnering contract that is delivering service improvements;
• weaknesses in planned maintenance programming and responsive repairs prioritisation;
• a lack of transparency in the calculation of service charges; and
• a Board and involved residents that required further capacity development.

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

• the review of all monitoring and feedback mechanisms;
• capacity development training for the Board and involved residents;
• the review of service charge administration; and
• the development of more effective budgetary control/programming for planned maintenance.

1066 HA was established in 1995 to purchase the housing stock of Hastings Borough Council in East Sussex, which it acquired in 1996. It owns and manages just over 4,000 properties in Hastings and St Leonards and employs 105 staff.

Copies of the report are available from the Association or on the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Audit Commission is an independent body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently and effectively, to achieve high-quality local services for the public. Our remit covers around 11,000 bodies in England, which between them spend more than £180 billion of public money each year. Our work covers local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services.

As an independent watchdog, we provide important information on the quality of public services. As a driving force for improvement in those services, we provide practical recommendations and spread best practice. As an independent auditor, we ensure that public services are good value for money and that public money is properly spent.

For further information about the Audit Commission, visit our website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.