Briefings, Reports and Toolkits

Briefings, Reports and toolkits are listed below. Please click the relevant link to view in adobe acrobat reader. If you do not have adobe acrobat reader you can download it here.

February 2008

• How was it for you?
  'Housing inspection: how was it for you?' is a biennial survey of Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) members' perceptions of the Audit Commission's inspection process. The latest project surveyed 20 Northern housing providers (including a local authority, ALMOs, stock transfers and traditional RSLs), whose inspection reports have been published since November 2005.
  
  

  The report of the survey found that in a number of key areas, NHC members' perceptions of the inspection process were considerably better than when the 2005 survey was conducted. These improved perceptions were the result of enhancements to the pre-inspection communication and meetings and in the self-assessment process - all respondents finding it useful, as well as a large increase in those finding the support useful.

January 2008

• Shared Services in Social Housing
  With government agendas driving targeted efficiencies and savings for public sector providers, as well as regulatory bodies such as the Audit Commission and Housing Corporation prioritising value for money issues, the pressure is now on the social housing sector to make real savings. Shared service models are considered to offer major opportunities to increase efficiency and improve service levels, which the social housing sector is under growing pressure to achieve.

This new report from Northern Housing Consortium, in association with Richard Beevers of Customer Plus, assesses the current state of shared services across the social housing sector. It examines how widespread the application of shared services is in the sector, which services would benefit most from a shared approach, and discusses the drivers causing the emergence of and the barriers to implementing shared services. This report provides a starting point for any organisation seeking to find out more about shared services and gain an insight into its potential for use in the social housing sector.

The report is available for download in PDF format or can be requested by emailing enquiries@northern-consortium.org.uk.

July 2006

• Stepping out: New ventures for housing organisations
  NHC commissioned a report to offer a snapshot of some of the more innovative ventures emerging in the housing sector. It covers a range of activities by housing organisations to generate new sources of income.
  
• Performance Indicators for 2003 - 2005: How Registered Social Landloards in the Northern Region Performed
  This is the fourth annual Northern Housing Consortium report analysing Performance Indicators (PIs) of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) registered with the Housing Corporation as being in the Northern region.