22 | Accord Housing Association
Summary and Conclusions
Accord is an organisation with a strong social purpose whose mission and core values are centred on delivering high quality , safe and compliant services that meet the needs of our customers ; providing the best outcomes for them as individuals and for the wider community . We continue to have a well-established and embedded culture of demonstrating Value for Money in the delivery of our objectives . Value for Money is led by our Board and our Value for Money Strategy aligns with our corporate and departmental objectives and key performance indicators .
We continue to adapt to meet the changing needs of our customers , stakeholders and the operating environment ; demonstrating not only innovation but the ability to learn lessons to improve our service offer . This was evidenced during 2019-20 where a concerted effort to improve our empty property lettings process resulted in a more efficient process and reduced void times , ensuring that we meet housing need and minimise the loss of income .
The focus for 2020-21 is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our routine maintenance service . We have an action plan against which we will measure progress and on-going scrutiny by Board and Executive Management Team through regular review meetings . We generally compare favourably against our peers across the seven regulatory metrics given the diverse range of activities undertaken by the organisation . The operating margin on our social housing lettings and the headline social housing cost per property demonstrate our commitment to driving efficiencies and delivering surpluses for reinvestment in both our existing and new properties .
Oakwood Gardens , Wombourne