South Kesteven Council tenants getting 'zero star' service

Published by Jon Land for Audit Commission in Housing

The landlord service provided to tenants by South Kesteven District Council is 'poor' and has 'uncertain prospects for improvement' according to an independent report released today by the Audit Commission.

The Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a poor, no-star rating on a scale from zero to three stars.

It does not provide clear customer information; performance in some areas, such as repairs, is weak; and residents are not involved effectively in important areas of the service.

Mark Elsworth, Audit Commission senior manager, said: "Our inspection has uncovered important weaknesses in both performance and consistency. Significant shortcomings in the way performance is monitored and managed hampers the council's ability to identify and deal with problems effectively.

"More positively, the council is aware of many of these failings and has taken some steps to address them.  However, the Council's record in this area makes its prospects for improvement 'uncertain.'"

Weaknesses include:      

• The council lacks the strategy and information necessary for it to target investment in its housing stock
• Tenants have to wait too long to have their repairs carried out
• The council has not assessed who is not using the service and so cannot identify the reasons for this or make access easier
• The council is inconsistent in the way it deals with anti-social behaviour and estate management
• Its lack of understanding of housing service costs mean that it cannot be sure if the service provides value for money

However the report also shows that: homes are relet promptly; a high proportion of homes have been assessed as meeting the government's Decent Homes Standard; and estates are generally well maintained.

Recommendations include:

• Developing clear service standards and service information for customers
• Improving repairs performance, including the time taken to complete repairs and the proportion of appointments kept
• Dealing more consistently with reports of anti-social behaviour 
• Ensuring that residents are more effectively involved in the development and scrutiny of services
• Improving the way performance is monitored, managed and reported

South Kesteven District Council's housing stock consists of 6,277 properties, of which 1,288 are sheltered housing.