POOLE council is looking to make cuts to its housing management service.

The authority uses arms-length management organisation Poole Housing Partnership, a not for profit company, to manage its own housing stock.

Now the borough's cabinet has approved a review of the service in a bid to find out "the most efficient and effective way of delivering housing management services in Poole".

Councillor Karen Rampton, cabinet member for housing, said the review had been planning in light of the gradual cuts to and loss of the council's government grant funding.

"Poole Housing Partnership has provided Borough of Poole and its residents with a good housing management service over the past years, but the council is facing unprecedented financial challenges and we are required to look at all areas where possible efficiencies could be made," she said.

"No decisions about any changes to the service will be taken until the review is fully completed."

The council says its current management agreement with the partnership has been in place since 2004, and in 2014 was extended to a 30 year agreement with a break clause every five years.

A spokesman said: "If significant changes are proposed to the provision of housing management services then the council has to give a substantial period of notice. It has therefore started the review process now to meet these timescales."

The review is scheduled to take place over the summer, carried out by a specialist independent company.

The findings will be presented to council members in the Autumn.

Should the final report recommend any changes to the service, these would come into effect from April 2019.

Partnership board chairman Richard Hudson said: "We will be working closely with Borough of Poole during the review process and would like to reassure our residents that there will be no change to the service we provide during this period."

As an arms-length management organisation, or ALMO, is set up by an authority to manage and improve all or part of its housing stock. Ownership of the housing remains with the borough.

The partnership claims to have delivered efficiency savings of £1.3 million between April 2007 and March 2013.