This included the arrival of 170 vans at the NEC this week that were collected by Partnerships engineers ready to begin work on properties owned by Birmingham City Council in Edgbaston, Hall Green, Northfield and Selly Oak. It follows an intense period of mobilisation, including transfer of engineers under TUPE from the previous contractor, after the company’s appointment by the council in December last year.

The new contract with makes Willmott Dixon Group one of the most visible brands in Birmingham. The company already has 130 vans in the city supporting a team providing a similar repair service to 20,000 homes and properties in Ladywood, Erdington, Peribar and Sutton Coldfield. It also has a large construction office in Coleshill that delivers over £100 million of projects in the region each year.

On the start of the latest contract, Willmott Dixon Partnerships managing director Mick Williamson says, “It was impressive seeing the vans arrive at the NEC ready to begin work.

“Being responsible for 60,000 properties in Birmingham is a very important role for us and we totally focused on supporting the Council’s commitment to providing an efficient, value for money service for tenants and this includes migrating our productivity successes in the north to the south.”

Elaine Elkington, Director of Housing and Constituencies at Birmingham City Council adds, “I am delighted by the £30m savings the Council made as part of the selection process for the new contractors and I am committed to providing an efficient service for our tenants, whilst ensuring we get the best value for our money. The contracts have been implemented in a seamless transition over the Easter weekend.”