Cornwall Housing (CHL) is pleased to announce that contracts to provide its new everyday repairs service have been awarded to three companies - all with a strong track record of high-quality property maintenance across the Westcountry.
CHL remains committed to working with local providers to develop a long-term repairs delivery model. As this work progresses these will be interim contracts, in place for 3 years from March 2025, and deliver services when the current Corserv Facilities’ contract ends. It is expected that the new providers will be key partners in developing these long-term repair solutions alongside local residents.
As explained in earlier announcements, the new repairs service involves splitting the county into three geographical areas to make the workload more manageable for each contractor.
WMS – covering West Cornwall
The company was formed in 2007 and in 2015 it acquired Williams and Martin Ltd, a specialist painting and decorating contractor. WMS delivers out-of-hours and maintenance across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. The company’s offices include its HQ in Bideford, Devon, and a base in Redruth.
Cardo (Wales & West) – formally known as LCB Group – covering Northeast Cornwall
Cardo specialises in repairs and maintenance of social housing and public sector buildings. The company has offices in Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter and serves clients across South Wales and the southwest of England.
MD Group – covering Southeast Cornwall
Established more than 2 decades ago, the MD Group is one of the biggest building services companies in the South and southwest, specialising in the affordable housing and public sectors. Its head office is in Bristol.
Ian Frazer, CHL’s Executive Director of Asset Management, said:
“The appointment of our 3 new interim repairs partners is an important milestone in our improvement plan. These companies have had to demonstrate their willingness to work with us to meet the considerable challenges of an increased demand for repairs and the need to provide a customer focused service.”
“We are already working with the partners on their mobilisation plans for the coming months. In this next phase, we’ll be organising more engagement sessions to ensure residents have the chance to raise any questions and concerns with the new contractors, and ultimately help shape the service they receive.”
Michael Sussex, Managing Director of WMS, said:
“WMS are thrilled to be in partnership with Cornwall Housing Limited, delivering property maintenance repairs in West Cornwall as part of the new Maintenance and Repairs Contract and very proud to be 1 of the 3 contractors selected. We cannot wait to start and make improvements to the service currently provided.
We will be delivering the service from our locally based office in Redruth and have worked alongside Cornwall Housing since forming our business in 2007, successfully delivering response services, 24/7 out of hours, minor works, vacant property refurbishments and planned projects. We have invested heavily in a new IT system that will provide real time information for Cornwall Housing and their residents so we can provide a 1st class service and improve the repairs process for all stakeholders.
Our main goal is to provide a service with a high customer satisfaction and the minimum disruption to any resident. Employed from the community in which we serve our Cornish operations team will build upon our local knowledge and existing client relationships delivering timely repairs and quality work for residents in the friendly and highly professional manner that WMS’ reputation has been built on over the years.”
Rhydian James, Managing Director of Cardo, said:
“We’re thrilled to partner with Cornwall Housing to deliver high-quality repairs and maintenance across Northeast Cornwall. At Cardo Group, we’re committed to ensuring timely, reliable repairs while supporting local employment and creating meaningful social value. By working closely with Cornwall Housing and engaging with residents, we aim to deliver a service that truly enhances the quality of life in the communities we serve."
Steve Devlin, Managing Director of MD Group said:
“MD Group are delighted to be appointed by Cornwall Housing to deliver repairs and maintenance work throughout the Southeast region of Cornwall. This partnership will see us working collaboratively to reduce waiting timescales, increase ‘first time fix’ repairs and deliver excellent communication to residents. Throughout this partnership, we’ll ‘Keep it Cornish’ by creating employment and training opportunities for local people, and by coordinating meaningful social value activity that helps communities thrive. We are eager to begin to work together through a shared vision that focuses on maximising resident satisfaction and delivering value for money.”
Short-listed candidates for the new home safety checks and heating contract have been interviewed and residents were involved in the selection panel. Residents will be given the opportunity to put their questions to the new contractor after the award is announced in the coming weeks. This contract is separate from the everyday repairs service and covers the whole of the county.
Residents should continue to report repairs in the usual ways – webform, email or phone.
If residents or contractors have any questions about the repairs project, please email info@cornwallhousing.org.uk
Email: info@cornwallhousing.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 1234 161
