HERTSMERE Borough Council was praised by central Government this week following the sustained improvements made to its housing service.
The commendation came from local MP Tony McNulty and is the outcome of a recent re-inspection of Hertsmere's housing service.
The re-inspection was held because the Best Value Review originally conducted by the Audit Commission Best Value Inspectorate at the start of last year was critical of the council's service.
The initial report described the housing service as "poor" and "unlikely to improve".
In a letter to council leader Neil Payne, the Government Minister congratulated the borough council on the results of the re-inspection, which showed Hertsmere had achieved significant improvements in the service.
In one year the council managed to move up to a 1* score with "promising prospects for improvement".
The marked improvement is the result of a structured action plan headed up Councillor Payne and implemented to address the problems highlighted.
Progress was monitored regularly by the executive and the service was officially re-inspected in January 2003.
Councillor Payne, said: "I am delighted with the outcome of the re-inspection and would like to thank council officers for their hard work and dedication in upgrading the service."
He added: "I look forward to further improvements in the coming year."
May 30, 2003 13:30
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