Firstly, I want to thank you for your patience and honesty over the past year. I know that while many of you have seen positive changes with our repairs service, that sadly hasn’t been everyone’s experience. If you’ve been left waiting or frustrated by delays, I’m truly sorry - I know how important it is to get repairs fixed properly and in good time.
Your feedback has helped us understand what really matters to you – reliable repairs, value for money, quality work, and clear communication. And this has all directly shaped the improvements we’re making to our repairs service now and in the future.
Where we are now
Our interim partnership with Mears is continuing to make good progress. When they joined us in February 2025, we had around 9,000 repairs on our list. This included 7,000 older jobs left over from our previous contractor, as well as new routine and emergency repairs. Since then, we’ve worked together to clear all the older, long-standing repairs. Today, we’ve around 2,400 repairs on our list - all of them reported since Mears started supporting the service, with none remaining from the previous contractor. We’ve also made a big improvement in how quickly we complete routine repairs. On average, these were taking 102 days - now, it’s around 21 days.
This is real progress, but we know there’s still more to do. We’re continuing to focus on getting repairs done quickly, doing them well, and keeping you better informed along the way.
Our long-term repairs partner
Following the Section 20 customer consultation, we’re now in the process of awarding Mears our long-term repairs contract. This will be a 10-year partnership, focused on delivering a more reliable, high-quality service. We’re planning to launch the new service in late summer 2026 - but we won’t rush it, we’ll only go live when we’re confident the service is ready to deliver the quality and reliability you expect.
What this means for you
There’s no immediate change. Mears will continue to deliver our repairs service as they do today. Behind the scenes, we’re getting everything ready for the new service launch, from systems, processes to people.
Looking ahead
We’ll continue to improve the current service while preparing for the new one. The long-term contract will build on the progress we’ve made, and we’ll keep learning, improving, and listening to you.
Keep an eye on our website, social media channels and in our newsletters for regular performance and service updates.
Best wishes,
Lanier Doyle
Head of Repairs Partnering
