Housing Monthly Diary Archive

Housing Services

Return To The HMD Archive Index

December 1998
Changes to Performance Indicators

The Audit Commission announced significant changes to its local authority Performance Indicators (PIs) for 1999/2000, in response to the Government's Best Value initiative. Under Best Value, Performance Indicators play a significant role in assessing the performance of individual authorities. Two new indicators were now included in relation to provision of housing accommodation:

• New tenancies given to vulnerable people excluding elderly people, as a percentage of all new tenancies except those given to the elderly.

• The percentage of rent lost through properties being empty.

There were also two amendments to indicators relating to the use of temporary accommodation in housing the homeless, which now read:

• The average number of homeless households in temporary accommodation during the year in:

a] bed and breakfast accommodation;

b] hostel accommodation;

c] other temporary housing.

• The average length of stay in bed and breakfast accommodation.

With regard to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, one new indicator was included with regard to overpayments:

• The amount of Benefit overpaid as a percentage of the total Benefits paid in the year.

Additionally, a new indicator was included with regard to Benefit claimants' satisfaction:

• What percentage of claimants felt that they were clearly told what information to provide?

Two indicators specific to Housing Benefit were amended and now read as follows:

• The average time for processing new claims for Housing Benefit from local authority tenants from the date of receipt of the claim by the local authority for the period 1st October 1999 to 31st March 2000.
• The average time for paying new claims for Rent Allowance from the date of receipt of the claim by the local authority for the period 1st October 1999 to 31st March 2000.

Source: Performance Indicators for the Financial Year 1999/2000: Audit Commission.

Return To The HMD Archive Index