Understanding service quality in the new public sector : An exploration of relationships in the process of funding social housing

Highlights the increasing emphasis on customers and service quality in the new public sector. Emphasises the bias towards hard, easily quantifiable data and a focus on external customers in the measurement of service quality. Explores relationships through which grants for social housing are bid for and allocated and the programme managed. Reviews measures of quality in relation to understanding such service relationships. Offers the Service Template Process within a process consultancy framework as an alternative. Findings emphasise the importance of partnership between the Housing Corporation, Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords (Housing Associations) in ensuring quality in the funding of social housing and the need for longer time scales for joint planning activity. The suitability of the process to help highlight issues critical to a service relationship is also discussed.