Carmarthenshire County Council has entered a partnership with local building contractors to improve its entire council housing stock.

The council is committed to raising its 9,300 homes to the exacting Carmarthenshire Homes Standard by 2014-15.

It introduced a Contractor Partnership at the beginning of this year which will provide regular work for the eight chosen companies for the next four years. The work includes exterior and interior refurbishment of houses, new windows and doors and facilities to cater for people with disabilities.

Some 750 properties will be improved this year in a £20.8m programme across the county including such areas as Pembrey, Llwynhendy, Garnant, Bryn, Brynamman, and Felinfoel and Trimsaran.

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The aim of the partnership is to ensure that the huge programme can be delivered on schedule by ensuring that local contractors have a trained workforce and guaranteed work for several years ahead.

Council Building Operations Manager Mark V Davies said: "In delivering a programme as diverse as the Carmarthenshire Homes Standard we need longstanding arrangements with our contractors.

"Over the period of the partnering arrangement the county council, will be helping our contractor partners to develop as businesses, to develop the skills of their workforce and to create jobs in the county.

"The partnership started in January and we are happy with the way it is developing.

"When the Carmarthenshire Homes Standards programme started we had concerns as to whether there would be sufficient capacity within the building industry to deliver it. Now we have eight contractors working with us and training their workforce. Those contractors from outside Carmarthenshire are taking on local employees."

(CD/JM)