Mears replaces Morrison on Southwark Council repairs contract

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

Mears has been awarded an interim repairs contract with Southwark Council after the London borough terminated its contract with rival Morrison in April.

Southwark said it wanted to "move repairs performance on to the next level" and since dumping Morrison - its repairs contractor for the south of the borough - has been in the process of procuring a new interim contractor. It has emphasised that the move would be the "first step in the delivery of a new style repairs service, which puts residents at the heart of the service".

It also comes after Southwark - which manages over 50,000 homes - ended another repairs deal in June, this time with Wates, which will no longer be responsible for the delivery of any of the council’s major works within the borough.

Councillor Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for housing, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mears onboard for the interim period, and look forward to their assistance in helping the council change the way in which repairs are delivered in the borough. Although the repairs service is improving, it still has some way to go to achieve the quality of service that we, and residents, can be proud of. We are looking to Mears to work with us to raise standards and improve customer service in the short-term while we put in place arrangements for the long-term future.”

Alan Long, executive director at Mears, said: “Mears has a good reputation in delivering a high standard of customer service. We are experienced in mobilising contracts quickly under short-term interim agreements. Our approach to continuous improvement has also been recognised by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and we have recently been the first repairs and maintenance contractor to be awarded the prestigious Customer Service Excellence standard.”

Mears operatives will be working on site alongside Morrison as they finish the remainder of their contract to October this year.

Mears’ contract officially begins in October this year and will run until October 2013, by which time a permanent new provider will have been procured.