A new housing repairs and maintenance company has been established in Stoke-on-Trent.

Unitas Stoke-on-Trent Limited has been created by the city council to carry out around £17 million worth of work across 18,500 council homes and 600 public buildings each year.

The new company takes over the work of a joint venture partnership between the council and Kier Stoke, which ended at the beginning of this month.

Around 450 Kier Stoke staff have transferred to the new company based in Cromer Road . Having been joined by a further 30 city council workers, staff will deliver an average 600 responsive repair jobs a day under a £42m annual budget, with plans to refurbish 1,500 void properties a year.


Dozens of local businesses will also supply goods and services after successfully bidding for work such as plastering, plumbing, joinery and bricklaying.

City Council Leader Dave Conway said: "I have made clear from the start what I wanted to achieve with the creation of Unitas and I’m proud to have seen my ambitions realised as the company is officially launched.

"Unitas has been designed to offer an improved, more flexible service for tenants and will ensure that property owned by the council is maintained to a high standard."

Duncan Williams, Regional Director at Seddon, which has been appointed to the Unitas framework, said: "With a 65-year history in Stoke-on-Trent, we know the area very well and our appointment to the Unitas framework is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to its housing developments and their communities.

"Working in close partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we will use our extensive experience in this sector to deliver the best service on projects across the city, while continuing our commitment to offer local employment and training initiatives."

(LM/MH)