It looks likely that Mears will win a 3 year extension to their contact to maintain council homes in Acocks Green.

Back in April 2008, Mears took over the repairs and maintenance contract for Council owned homes across both Yardley and Hodge Hill constituencies, including Acocks Green. Their contract was for a period of 4.5 years with an option to extend for a further 3 years.

If the Council agrees to extend the contacts now, further savings (amounting to £6m when you also include the Willmott Dixon contracts in Ladywood, Perry Barr, Sutton and Erdington) can be achieved. Tenants have been consulted and the City Housing Liaison Board overwhelmingly backed the contract extension at their meeting on 26th May. So, providing Cabinet endorse the move (which has the recommendation of the cabinet members for Housing and Finance), the contract extension will go ahead and Mears will keep the job in Acocks Green at least until 2015.

While there will always be the odd thing that goes wrong, my view from talking to tenants about the service they get, is that Mears have done a good job and so I’m glad to hear that they have the job for another 3 years.