2 Stars for Cobalt

Monday 10th November 2008

During July, Cobalt was inspected by the Audit Commission who judge our Service as it is today and rate our prospects for the future. The Audit Commission have confirmed that Cobalt delivers a 'good' 2 Star service with 'promising' prospects to improve in the future. This is the second highest result a housing association can be awarded. This great inspection result shows what 5 years of hard work from everyone can achieve. The inspection result belongs to all who have worked with Cobalt and we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to you for your support over the years.

So what were the inspectors impressed with?
• The delivery of the improvement programme with tenant involvement
• Our approach to gas servicing ensuring tenants safety
• Our commitment to tackling issues around poverty and ensuring financial inclusion (e.g offering independent welfare advice and supporting people in debt)
• How Cobalt supports tenants experiencing Anti- Social Behaviour.

The inspectors also said the service was 'good' because:
• high levels of customer satisfaction had been achieved across a range of services
• there is a strong commitment to all our communities
• the delivery of the decent homes programme is effective and customer focused
• the repairs service is customer focused
• there is strong performance in re-letting empty homes
• there is a supportive rent collection and arrears recovery service.

What work still needs to be done?
The inspectors highlighted some areas that need further improvement. These included:
• How major adaptations to tenants homes are delivered
• Waiting times for major adaptations
• The handling of telephone enquiries
• A better understanding of the costs of our services in order to deliver greater 'value for money'
• Keeping customers informed about our services.

Work has already started to tackle these 'areas for improvement' and they will all be completed within the next 12 months. Progress in delivering these will be reported back to you on a regular basis. If you would like to see the full inspection report please click on the Related Link/Page below or contact Fiona Wilkie on 0151 633 8091 or email fwilkie@cobalthousing.org.uk for more information.

Posted by 0 for Cobalt Housing Limited