Perfect ten

Brighton & Hove City Council’s 10-year housing contract with the Mears Group is shaking up housing provision in the area.

Not only is it one of the largest contracts of its kind it is set to bring benefits including faster repairs, improved security and a focus on green issues

The £200 million contract, which covers 12,500 homes, builds on Mears’ existing contract with Brighton & Hove. The company already provides responsive and void repairs together with gas servicing to the council’s extensive portfolio of homes. And this latest contract win will see it add programmed, cyclical and further maintenance works to the list.

Commenting, Bob Holt, chief executive of Mears Group, said: “Working together with Brighton & Hove we can deliver the tangible improvements into the community which are so important to the people that live there. I believe this to be one of the largest contracts of its kind awarded in the UK ever and represents a significant move to a long-term partnership for Brighton & Hove.

“Mears has gained significant contract wins of £400 million since April 2009 and has a strong pipeline of contract bids. Our partnership strategy continues to gain momentum with existing and new customers and we are committed to delivering a value for money quality of service offering which provides very high tenant satisfaction. This is reflected in our ratings with customers who are progressively focusing on value and delivery of service rather than price alone. I look forward to bringing you news of further contract awards soon.”

While Mears and Brighton & Hove obviously enjoy a strong working relationship the council will be keeping its eye firmly on the ball where the contract is concerned, setting challenging performance targets that will be rigorously monitored and subject to financial penalties. In fact if Mears were to fail to perform to the standards, which have been set through close consultation with tenants the contract could be terminated.

And it is not just run of the mill improvements and repairs that will be covered, tenants will see faster repairs and improved security with council and contractor staff housed in four ‘our neighbourhood’ hubs across the city with close links to local police officers.

Green issues are very important at Brighton & Hove and the council has signed up to the national 10:10 Campaign to cut its carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010/11 – a bold step up from the previous target of 20 per cent over five years.

It is asking residents and businesses to do the same and has set Mears the challenge of becoming carbon neutral by 2012.

Council leader Mary Mears said: “This is a big challenge but one we think is achievable. A low carbon Brighton & Hove is our top sustainability priority and this is a real opportunity to re-energise our staff, be bold, and inspire others across the city to do the same.”

Keeping with the green theme a new ‘supercentre’ depot run on alternative energy is being set up to service the contract and Mears is committed to a series of eco-friendly measures, including furniture recycling and reducing the waste sent to landfill.

Training is also an important issue at Brighton & Hove and it has made sure that there will be plenty of training provision for local people.

Mears is committed to taking on at least 200 apprentices throughout the lifetime of the contract, setting up a kitchen manufacturing workshop and encouraging more women to take up a career in the construction industry. There will also be opportunities for local small businesses and contractors.

Councillor Maria Caulfield, cabinet member for housing, said: “This is the first time a local authority has been able to stipulate such a wide range of initiatives that not only improve the repairs service, but help the local economy and protect the environment.”

“Tenants will see ‘first visit’ repairs in most cases and they can be reassured of their security with local police officers closely linked to council and contractor staff.”

The contract between the two organisations breaks the norm not only in terms of size and longevity but also in terms of what it will offer to the wider community over the next decade.