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Mid Wales Housing Association has ‘scope for considerable improvement’ in four out of eight key areas, according to a report by the Auditor General for Wales. Areas for improvement include the Association’s relationship with residents and its rents and lettings service. But the report, published today, also found the Association, which serves tenants throughout Powys and Ceredigion, has a good approach to providing housing, and has satisfactory services in other areas, such as maintenance and repairs..
The Association, which was established in 1975, is demonstrating good practice in a number of areas. For example, it is working effectively in partnership with Powys and Ceredigion County Councils. Other examples include:
• Community Initiatives Strategy – this provides a comprehensive framework for the Association to develop and deliver innovative community based services, including clear criteria for acceptable projects; and
• Metrics performance management report – the system provides monthly reports analysing the performance of the Association against core indicators. Indicators cover three broad areas, Stakeholders, Business Processes and Learning & Growing, and performance is measured using a traffic light system.
Despite this, the report found that the Association was unable to consistently drive improvement because of a lack of comprehensive service standards and performance evaluation in all areas of operation. There were weaknesses in process and performance, which could make it difficult for the Association to meet all strategic objectives because of the absence of an effective HR function, weaknesses in its appraisal system and limitations in plans to support the delivery of its objectives. .
The report makes over thirty recommendations for improvement. They include calls for the Association to engage further with residents; implement the Commission for Racial Equality’s Code of Practice on rented housing; implement effective monitoring systems for lettings, suspensions and refusals; and address weaknesses in the management of pre-inspections and in statutory servicing arrangements.
Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman said today:
“Mid Wales Housing Association needs to take into account the thirty four recommendations I have made in this report to improve services for all its residents. It is encouraging to see examples of good practice, but more work needs to be done on engaging more closely with tenants and improving business processes.”
Notes to Editors:
• The inspection of Mid Wales Housing Association was undertaken in March – April 2006.
• Mid Wales Housing Association was formed in 1975, and manages 1,240 properties throughout Powys and Ceredigion. The Association is governed by a Board of 13, with two tenant Board members.
• The Welsh Assembly Government has appointed the Wales Audit Office to carry out the inspection of housing associations in Wales. Inspection is carried out under the Local Government Act 1998, as amended by the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004.
• The specific questions about each aspect the inspection covers are set out in the latest version of the Assembly Government’s Regulatory Code for Housing Associations in Wales. This can be found by clicking on the following link: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/housing/publications/regulatorycode
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• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure.
• The Wales Audit Office was created in April 2005 through the Public Audit (Wales) Act, 2004, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Lisa Smyth on 029 2026 2673 or email lisa.smyth@wao.gov.uk
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