Review: Best Value in Housing Framework

by John Harvey, chairman of Room’s London Region and Managing Director of IRIS Consulting

This publication was issued by the former DETR in January 1999. It sets out the Government’s conclusions and proposals for the implementation of Best Value in Housing (BVH). It purports to provide only the framework: - it does not tell local authorities how to do it. But it is a pretty detailed framework!

The foreword by Chris Mullin, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary at DETR, makes a number of significant points. He states:

“Best Value needs to embrace housing in the widest sense – the housing management function, …the strategic and enabling roles, … and in addressing wider cross-cutting issues.”

The framework document itself comprises 11 chapters (or “Parts”) and five annexes. It is a substantial document and a very useful consolidation of relevant information bringing together both policy and practical guidance on the way BVH should be approached and implemented. As well as detailed guidance on performance indicators and interfaces with other agencies the document contains a good summary of the Best Value ethos. In so doing it sets out a number of key points, such as:

“the central purpose of Best Value is to make a real and positive difference to services which local people receive from their authority”

“Relying on a technical, tick-box approach is to seriously underestimate what Best Value is really about”

In other words this document is telling authorities not to get bogged down in the processes and lose sight of the basic objective.

The basic elements of the Best Value statutory framework are clearly set out as comprising:

•  Establish corporate objectives
•  Agree programme of Best Value service reviews
•  Undertake Best Value reviews of all services over a five year period
•  Set and publish performance targets in relation to the national PIs and the local PIs
•  Independent audit/inspection by the Best Value Inspectorate
•  Ultimate sanction of intervention by Secretary of State in cases of failing services.

Many aspects of this new regime are still in the process of development, such as Inspection, and other initiatives, such as HRA Resource Accounting, will affect the way it works in practice. The document contains chapters on these issues setting out the Government’s current thinking about how these still emerging elements will interact. This is unlikely to be the last word on the subject.

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