The Housing Corporation's Best Value proposals for registered social landlords (RSLs) aim to secure continuous improvement in the performance of individual landlords and the sector as a whole. Best Value will help RSLs deliver cost effective services that meet the needs and aspirations of their tenants and residents.

This document sets out the guidance we recommend all registered social landlords to follow in delivering Best Value. It also describes what we will do to encourage and support RSLs to meet the challenges and reap the benefits of Best Value.

We see the Best Value framework for RSLs as having a set of objectives which are achieved through a number of key processes.

The objectives are:

• to strengthen the influence of residents over the design and delivery of the services they receive
• to deliver high quality and cost effective services
• to achieve continuous improvement in the services delivered to residents and others.

• comprehensive service reviews
• the preparation of service statements
• the production of performance plans and performance reports.

Using Innovation and Good Practice (IGP) funds, we are financing a number of projects that will help RSLs deliver Best Value. Lessons learnt from the pilots and from other initiatives will be fed into good practice advice that we will be issuing with the NHF.

Over the next 18 months or so we will bring together all we learn about the implementation of Best Value in the RSL sector and elsewhere. We will review what progress has been made and examine the techniques that have been used to implement Best Value. Following this review we plan to issue new, more detailed guidance on the implementation of Best Value in the RSL sector in late 2000/early 2001.

(For Best Value briefings, which we produce jointly with the NHF, please go to their website Info Shop at http://www.housing.org.uk.)