Following the Essex Review of Affordable Housing, as a key element of developing a modern regulatory for housing, a set of delivery outcomes was introduced in 2010.
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and the All Wales Chief Housing Officers’ Panel (AWCHOP) have since developed and agreed a complementary set of draft delivery outcomes for local authority housing services. These can be used on a voluntary basis by local authorities to support service improvement, i.e. not as part of any formal regulation arrangements and are available to view in the document below.
The WLGA / AWCHOP delivery outcomes are designed to:
- Provide strategic shape and direction to a Self Assessment, whilst not being overtly prescriptive;
- Provide a focus for the establishment locally of a strong supporting evidence base accessible to Members, the Executive, tenants, regulators and stakeholders;
- Improve accountability by letting all housing tenants/customers know what they should expect from their provider; and
- Drive service improvement.
These delivery outcomes are, wherever possible, very similar to those in place for housing associations. Thereby, seeking to address concerns from tenant groups that local authority and housing association tenants were being treated differently, and allowing for ready comparisons to be made between social landlords in an area – whether local authority or housing association.
Clearly, however, there are significant differences in the arrangements for ‘governance’ and ‘finance’ between housing association and local authorities, therefore, the delivery outcomes for local authority housing services are organised under the 3 headings shown below, with Service Principles largely replacing the delivery outcomes under the Governance & Finance section for housing associations and recognising the unique position of local authorities’ roles in relation to homelessness and the strategic housing function. This structure also reflects the position where a significant number of local authorities in Wales have transferred their housing stock, so are not involved in delivering landlord services.
Structure of delivery outcomes for LA housing services:
- Service Principles
- Services delivered by all local authority housing services: Homelessness / Strategic Role
- Local authority landlord services
For more information contact: Jim McKirdle