EUKN - United Kingdom - Improving and sustaining the performance of housing authorities

Improving and sustaining the performance of housing authorities - UK

Introduction

This report presents the findings of research into the factors that lead housing authorities to improve services to tenants and residents, and to sustain these improvements.

Description

The report first explains what is meant by performance improvement, noting that this may vary for different stakeholders. It considers why performance varies despite the dissemination of good practice. It highlights lessons on performance improvement from other sectors and identifies external and internal factors that affect performance. The report contains ten case studies of housing authorities, identifying the drivers for improvement in each one. It makes recommendations for government, the Audit Commission and local authorities. Accompanies two toolkits for social landlords and tenants, which are also available in the EUKN e-library, see links below.

Background information

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government) commissioned Housing Quality Network Services and the Northern Housing Consortium to undertake a study of the factors that influence performance improvement in housing authorities. The study was carried out in the context of the Communities Plan, which promotes sustainable communities by tackling low demand and abandonment, housing shortage, tenure imbalances and homelessness and aims to bring all social housing up to the Decent Homes standard by 2010.

Methodology

Evidence was gathered through analyses of national data, a literature review, twenty-one stakeholder interviews, four focus groups with housing officials, ten case study visits and a postal questionnaire sent to all English local authorities.

Conclusions

Among the factors that encourage housing authority performance are funding, inspection and external forces which raise the profile of housing performance. Among the factors that hinder performance are frequent changes in the detail of government policy, high demand and homelessness, and the absence of priorities in the Inspectorate’s recommendations. The forces for change are stronger than the barriers.

The report recommends certain factors which can underpin success:

wide tenant participation;
good human resource management; and
performance management which involves all interested parties.

Contact info

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government)
Phone: +44 20 7944 4400
contactus@communities.gov.uk

Publication date

01/07/2005

Project finished

Researcher

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government)

Links

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government)Description of the accompanying 'Toolkit for social landlords' in EUKN e-library Description of the accompanying 'Toolkit for tenants' in EUKN e-library

Best value in housing: what makes local authorities improve and sustain their performance? (PDF, English, 393 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Housing

Keywords

Housing management