Budget busting annual savings of £39,000 for housing associations and councils delivering choices based lettings via TV

An independent analyst recently investigated Looking Local's proposition of delivering choice based lettings on interactive TV using a business case model created by CLG and signed off by HM Treasury. We are pleased to announce that the overriding outcome was positive and showed an average saving for a housing association with around 8,000 properties of £39,000 per year.

"There is a direct cashable saving for the Housing Association in terms of a saving per transaction and savings in overall operating expenditure, particularly advertising. When set against the cost savings in costs per transaction and advertising there is a clear identifiable financial gain, which can be set aside for reinvestment or as an overall reduction in operating expenditure."

Using real world budgets and analysing the resulting benefits in terms of decreased advertising spends, increased take-up and access, the report calculated a £195,000 saving over five years, which is important news for housing associations and local authorities facing the very real challenges of how to deliver services for less.

Consulting directly with a number of housing associations who already use Looking Local to deliver CBL, the business case worked through the strategic and policy drivers that led organisations to consider alternative channels to meet targets and ensure efficiencies. Then it concentrated on the core problem of digital exclusion, which means that many tenants did not have access to online services, as well as the organisational needs of reducing transaction costs and advertising budgets whilst still improving access, usage and tenant satisfaction.

Comparing Looking Local with other options such as working with partners to deliver further on and offline services or simply maintaining the status quo, Looking Local was the only option that moved organisations forward, delivered efficiencies and improved tenant access and services.

Digital exclusion continues to be a significant problem as highlighted by the SOCITM Better Connected report this month, and needs to be addressed if the efficiencies of self-service are to be realised. Nearly 50% of households earning less that £11,500 are not online, compared to only 4% of households with an income of £30,000 or more. 48% of disabled people are offline and there are high concentrations of working age people offline in northern England, urban Scotland and South Wales.

The CBL on TV report goes through a range of stakeholders that can benefit from CBL delivery on interactive TV and how it can help housing associations meet certain requirements around increased availability, improved choice in social housing, tenant satisfaction and improvements in the bidding process.

On top of direct savings for the housing association, the report identified a range of social benefits and financial savings that Looking Local's service can bring in terms of national partners we work with. Our partnership with Jobcentre Plus was highlighted as key in being able to help around worklessness, whilst access to GP appointments, NHS Choices and other health related information and services was identified as having a positive impact on local health and personal health management

In addition to the report, one of our partners - North Lincolnshire Homes - has produced a great video about delivering their and partner services via TV and mobile. It is a five minute piece which explains the benefits and savings from various perspectives; tenants, frontline service personnel, families and older people. It is well worth making a cup of tea and having a look, view it here.

For more information on housing services delivered on Looking Local, click here

The full Choice Based Lettings on TV business case can be requested here.

The SOCITM Better Connected Report 2011 can be found here.