HOMELESS, vulnerable people and first time house buyers are being let down by Wychavon District Council, according to a Government Audit Commission's draft report.

In the report, inspectors gave the housing department scores ranging from one to four, based on its performance. Grade one is very weak and grade four is very strong.

The department was given the lowest grade one in three areas of inspection, grade two in five areas and just one grade three but nowhere was a top grade four achieved.

This adverse report follows a story in the Journal on April 10, when desperate Vale families criticised housing officers who left them in bed and breakfast accommodation for months.

Michelle Marsh and her eight-year-old daughter, Peggy, are among 13 families district-wide currently in B& B accommodation, together with countless other single people.

The audit report said that Wychavon's housing staff had no cohesive policy on how their aim to provide 1,300 new affordable homes by 2004 would be delivered. The department lacked sufficient staff and skills, inspectors said.

Performance management was weak, relying on informal processes and ad hoc monitoring, resulting in the failure to provide enough affordable homes for locals. Private sector grants were under spent and not targeted to those in need, the report said.

The inspectors found the housing service did not feature strongly in the council's own Priorities and Promises statement, despite a residents' survey placing the provision of affordable housing as one of the top three priorities -- behind flood prevention and crime reduction.

Private sector housing activity, provision of grants and enforcement action were not well promoted or used according to the report.

The report also said that the council had failed to extend the Care and Repair Services, set out in 1999, to help elderly and vulnerable owner occupiers to look after their homes.

The council was also failing to meet the need to provide homes in villages where house prices were high.

The housing department had concentrated on providing larger homes to rent, despite there being a need for other forms of low-cost home ownership which resulted in longer bed and breakfast use.

The inspectors carried out the audit last November and submitted their report in March. Councillor Mike Worrall, who is not standing for election this time, said: "It has taken me weeks to get this into the public domain. I think the report is appalling and it should be debated at an overview and scrutiny committee."

Managing director of Wychavon District Council, Sid Pritchard said: "We are already addressing all the issues raised in the housing report. We have combined the benefits and housing department to be able to focus on the people rather than buildings."