Gosport as a Best Value 'pilot' authority has completed a Best Value Review of all front-line housing management services. In August 2000, the Council became one of the first nine Local Authorities to have an assessment conducted by the Best Value Inspection Service (BVIS) of the Council's repairs and maintenance service. The BVIS assessment, made the following conclusions:
"Having completed the on-site phase of the inspection we have reached our conclusions about the repairs and maintenance service managed by the Council. They are based upon two judgements:
Judgement 1 - A good service?
We have concluded that it is a good service, which has greatly improved in a relatively short space of time. There are numerous examples of good practice and a genuine commitment to consultation with tenants. The planned maintenance programme, delivered through the partnering initiative is a high quality product. The responsive repairs service had been problematic but has significantly improved following the emergence of a new relationship between client and contractor and now matches the performance of the top 25% of other local autorities in a number of key areas. There are, however, opportunities to further improve elements of the service. The speed of change has resulted in a number of service developments being at the discussion or 'early implementation' stage. Customers have generally expressed high levels of satisfaction with the current service. The review of the service fell short of a full 'challenge ' as to how the service is provided.
Judgement 2 - Going to Improve?
The commitment to the principles of best value, the commitment of staff and councillors to delivering a quality service, the close attention paid to consulting with tenants and engaging them in decision making and the number of new initiatives which are awaiting introduction or "bedding in" lead to a conclusion that the service is probably going to improve over the next 5 years. There are some important aspects that need to be managed - especially the continuing development of the relationship with the responsive repairs contractor, the future procurement method and exploration of delivery options for this service and the continuing development of the consultation framework to maximise representation".
The importance of the Best Value process to achieve the continuous improvement of the housing service and the fulfilment of the requirements of the Business Plan cannot be overstated. Twelve months on from the initial inspection, Best Value Performance Plan (see background paper: Best Value in Gosport*) updates have been completed for:
- Customer Services;
- Tenant Liaison;
- Allocations and Advice;
- Estate Management;
- Repairs and maintenance;
and are under review in the following areas:
- Sheltered Housing Service;
- Finance and Administration;
- Housing strategy and enabling.
Each of these updates is linked to the original service plan, the Corporate Plan and the Housing Strategy. Each has within it, local performance indicators and where applicable, Best Value and Audit Commission Performance Indicators.
These are publicised documents that also reflect the current level of performance and the progress made towards service objectives. They are also used as management tools, endorsing the culture of Best Value and continuous improvement.
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