Average council home repair will be completed within nine days, pledges Milton Keynes Council

Under the council’s updated housing repairs and maintenance programme, tenants will see the average time taken to complete a repair reduced by three days to nine, compared to the current 12 days.

MK Council said this week it was committed to housing improvements being completed to a high standard that meets tenants’ expectations.

At present, tenants are asked to score the quality of any work out of ten, with a target of at least seven out of ten. Under an extended contract between the council and its repairs contractor Mears, only a score of eight and above will now be considered acceptable.

Council officials will be carrying out regular inspections of homes that have had works completed to ensure residents are satisfied with the quality of work.

MK Council is currently in the second year of its £165m investment programme with Mears and a council decision to enter the next phase of the contract is set for next week.

The council is working to find innovative solutions to improving the quality of its homes. Recently, drop-in repairs surgeries were held on the Lakes Estate where residents could report issues in person. Further surgeries are planned in other parts of MK.

During the lockdown, the council has worked with Mears to complete over 2,500 emergency repairs. Over the past year, as part of the multi-million pound investment, MK Council properties have been fitted with over 800 new kitchens, 766 new bathrooms and almost 200 new roofs among other improvements.

Cabinet member with responsibility for housing, Councillor Emily Darlington said: “We want all our tenants to live in a good quality property that they are proud to call their home. A safe and secure home can give families a vital lifeline, and the council is already working to improve the service we offer, including being faster at responding to repair calls and changing the way we measure quality. It’s important that the residents themselves are telling us how the service can be improved, so we can continue to meet their needs.”

Any council tenants that require a repair to their property should call Mears on 0330 123 2522.