RCT Homes has set up a subsidiary company to carry out the work previously carried out by the collapsed Connaught Partnerships, Plaid AMs Chris Franks and Leanne Wood have been told.
Chief Executive Andrew Lycett told the two South Wales Central AMs that it had stepped in to save the 23 jobs by bringing the work and the staff in-house.
Both Mr Franks and fellow South Wales Central AM Leanne Wood wrote to Rhondda Homes after Connaught went into administration.
Chris Franks and Leanne Wood said: “We’re pleased that Rhondda Homes has protected the jobs of Connaught workers while ensuring kitchen refurbishment work has been completed. It is pleasing that the problems suffered by Connaught’s problems will not lead to serious delays in the overall major improvement programme contract.”
Mr Lycett said that from October 1 all managers, call centre staff and apprentices working on the Connaught contract were directly employed by a subsidiary company that RCT Homes had set up for the purpose.
“We have arranged with the administrator for the contract to be managed in the interim by Lovells to ensure that the service – and the staff’s employment – has continued without interruption.
“When it went into administration on September 8, Connaught Partnerships was managing internal refurbishment work in 36 RCT Homes properties, RCT Homes staff visited all 36 properties to inspect the work and keep tenants up-to-date.”
He added: “We were particularly concerned to restart work in nine homes that had no working kitchen at the time Connaught went into administration. With the support of a local contractor, we were able to ensure that kitchens had been fitted in six of these properties by Monday, September 13, and all properties had working kitchens by two days later.”
Mr Lycett said that it was setting up interim arrangements to replace Connaught Partnership’s role in the major improvement programme. We are confident that there will be no serious delays to the overall programme and that all tenants notified that work will take place in this financial year will see it completed before the end of March 2011.”
