30 January 2009
By Neil Merrick
A council-owned housing company that was heavily criticised by inspectors after a scandal over the allocation of homes has received a clean bill of health.
Nottingham City Homes now provides a good or two-star service with excellent prospects for improvement, the Audit Commission said this week. When the arm's-length management organisation was inspected in 2005 — the year it was set up — it received only one star and the commission launched an inquiry into how council homes had been allocated over the previous two years.
Earlier this month, Nottingham City Council handed a copy of the commission's report to Nottinghamshire Police. It contained details of how the friends and families of housing officers were given preferential treatment when homes were let.
The force is deciding whether to launch a criminal investigation. The commission's latest report, published on January 29, praises the Almo for making good progress and developing better services for its 30,000 tenants.
Ann Bennett, lead housing inspector for the East Midlands, said she was confident NCH would improve further after overcoming the problems it faced in 2005.
PFjan2009
