Salisbury's award-winning Housing Service: Why tenants are sticking with their council

What can Salisbury District Council provide that other councils cannot?

Over the last few years Salisbury District Council's Housing Service has taken major steps to improve its policies, strategies and customer service. Along with useful input from tenants, the council has experienced many success stories, from winning £7.1 million for the provision of affordable housing to being awarded the prestigious Charter Mark. Tenants are clearly happy with the service they are receiving.

So happy, in fact, that in a recent ballot, set up to decide whether Salisbury's housing stock should be transferred to a newly-formed housing association, over 70 per cent of tenants voted against the transfer, opting for their homes to remain under council ownership. That's a lot of tenants who believe that the service being provided by their local council is a quality one.

The results of the ballot were a surprise to some, however, as plans for the new housing association had been in progress since winter 2005. John Hinnis, vice chairman of the Salisbury Tenants Panel, said: "The panel believed that transferring the housing stock would have been in the best interests of all tenants. However, the arguments in favour of the transfer clearly failed to win the support of tenants."

Retention of the housing stock has meant that the council has had to find a sufficient amount of investment to bring tenants' homes up to the required standard. It was a challenge to which the council has risen and, last summer, Salisbury District Council was awarded the coveted Charter Mark, the government's national standard for excellence in customer service.

This is not the first time the council has received this prestigious award and Salisbury District Council's deputy leader, Cllr Steve Fear, said: "I would like to congratulate all of the council's housing staff whose excellent work has resulted in their service being re-awarded the Charter Mark.

"This award is a reflection of the dedication of staff in providing the best possible service for council tenants.

"And what is particularly pleasing is the very positive feedback we have had from our tenants, as that shows more than anything else that we are providing an excellent service for them."

Salisbury District Council will hold this award for three years and be able to display the Charter Mark logo. The department will also have to show a commitment to maintaining the high standards, for which it was rewarded.

To achieve Charter Mark status, the council's housing service underwent two assessments. The first, looked at documented evidence and the second involved visiting and interviewing staff and tenants.

The Charter Mark assessment of the council's housing service concluded that "the housing staff were enthusiastically committed to the Charter Mark ethos of providing excellent customer service".

This was a commitment that was found in all employees from senior officers through to front line staff, in setting and achieving high standards of delivery.

"The housing service was well-organised, placing customer care at the centre of its operation"; and the Housing Matters publication, of which all council tenants receive a copy, was deemed as "excellent". Also, having received extremely positive tenant comments, the housing service was commended for enabling "strong tenant participation".

So, Salisbury District Council is clearly devoted to its tenants' needs and is committed to improving the area's standards of living. In August 2006 the council undertook a major survey designed to provide information on the type and condition of housing throughout the district.

The council obtained the information in order to help with the development of its housing and planning policies, making it possible to meet the future housing needs of local people. Tenant opinion appears to be of the utmost importance to Salisbury District Council. Is this what makes its housing service so successful?

Salisbury's housing service has undergone some dramatic changes in recent years with a main focus on maintaining its housing stock and balancing its housing market. Shared ownership, HomeBuy, low-cost market housing and DIYSO (Do It Yourself Shared Ownership) are just some of the schemes on offer to the tenants of Salisbury District Council.

In April 2006 the council secured £7.1million of funding, which was dedicated to providing affordable houses across the district. The money was part of £36.8 million allocated across Wiltshire by the National Affordable Housing Programme and was 70 per cent more than Salisbury's housing service had been previously awarded in 2004-5.

The council set to work with its housing association partners, Swaythling, Aster, Raglan, and Signpost, to deliver new homes in Porton, Dinton, Kilmington, Amesbury, Old Sarum and the city of Salisbury with the hopes of reaching the goal of 269 affordable homes between 2006 and 2008.

An additional £500,000 portion of the funds was used to help first time buyers with the launch of the HomeBuy initiative, a programme designed to give people the opportunity to buy their own home. The council worked with Knightstone Housing Association to deliver the programme, allowing many first time buyers access to the housing ladder.

Following this, the council's cabinet approved a three year draft housing strategy, to replace the existing strategy, which was due to run out. The strategy's key objectives include an on-going commitment to bringing a range of affordable housing options to the area, working with partners where possible, securing a solution for the future management of council housing in partnership with the tenants, increasing housingrelated support for the community's vulnerable people and continuing to provide quality customer-focused services.

So, Salisbury District Council is also committed to providing affordable housing with many first time buyer initiatives on offer. These are services that are desperately needed in today's market and while Salisbury's housing service continues to set wide-ranging and hugely challenging agendas, there is no denying that its dedicated staff are, in fact, rising to these challenges.

Ensuring that service improvements are making a difference in tenants' lives is apparently what Salisbury's housing service is all about.

It is understandable, then, why the council was re-awarded the Charter Mark and why its tenants wish to remain under their landlordship. Salisbury District Council is committed to listening to the views of local people and has placed consultation with residents at the core of its planning.

With a motto of community communication, Salisbury District Council can only continue to succeed - much to the benefit of its tenants.