8:00am Thursday 22nd October 2009
By Liza-Jane Gillespie
MERLIN Housing Society has been slammed by the Audit Commission, which has given the association its lowest possible rating for performance.
The independent watchdog has described the housing association, which runs more than 8,000 properties in South Gloucestershire, as poor, giving it zero stars in an assessment revealed today.
The Audit Commission said Merlin is not always focused on the needs of its customers, repairs are not done efficiently, it takes too long to re-let properties, tenants have to wait too long for adaptations and estate management arrangements are not effective.
Merlin Housing, which is based in Chipping Sodbury, took ownership of South Gloucestershire Council's social housing stock in February 2007 following a ballot of tenants.
Ian Matthews, chief executive for Merlin Housing, said: "These areas are now our top priority. We've already developed a detailed action plan to address them and make sure our residents get the service they've told us they want and we know they deserve.
"We are determined to deliver on this plan and, as the commission's report suggests, build on our strengths, to make further improvements over the coming months.
"We are confident that at our next inspection we will be able to demonstrate a real difference in the services we deliver for our residents."
The Audit Commission’s inspectors did identify some strengths in Merlin’s performance. The association was noted for its rent collection performance, its progress on improving homes and its plans to address its weaknesses.
However, overall the housing association was told it was unsatisfactory.
Kieran Colgan, the Audit Commission's lead housing inspector, said: "The service currently provided by Merlin is unsatisfactory in a number of areas. However, Merlin has made progress on some things that really matter to tenants.
"It has improved tenants' homes and has put in place a number of key building blocks to develop the service. Merlin now needs to build on its strengths to ensure it can deliver the high-quality service that its tenants want and deserve."
Copies of the report are available from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports
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