A building contractor looks likely to be hit with a series of fines after a review of its performance flagged up continued problems.
Morrison, which maintains 37,000 council homes in south and west Leeds, was given three months up to June to improve by Leeds City Council.
The firm is just over a year into a five year £35m-a-year contract to look after homes for the council.
Nearly 1,100 complaints against Morrison, relating to everything from quality of service to attitude and damage, had been received by two of the council’s housing management companies up to June.
Coun Peter Gruen, the council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and housing, said: “We are consistently reviewing performance and people only continue to work for us if they reach satisfactory performance as set out in the contract and agreed by them in the contract – it was part of what they promised to do.”
Morrison has made changes to its management team, improved its IT systems and brought in extra staff to clear a backlog of jobs in a bid to preserve its contract.
Coun Gruen said that some improvements had been made since the three-month review started and complaints have started to fall although in some areas there has been “insufficient” progress.
He said: “We will make deductions for under performance as necessary.”
At the height of complaints in March, the council received 124 complaints about the firm, which has received more than £43m from April 2011.
It is thought that performance-related fines, within the terms of its council contract, cannot be invoked until the review of Morrison is discussed.
So although no fines have officially been deducted as yet, it is thought a number are on the horizon for the firm.
A spokeswoman for Morrison said: “We are working in partnership with Leeds City Council to significantly improve repairs and maintenance services.
“Morrison has not been fined by Leeds City Council for any failures in our contract with them, nor have we breached any terms.”
She said that the 1,085 complaints received in the 14 months up to June represent less than one per cent of the 140,000 repairs undertaken by the firm since April 2011.
Comments