Mears, one of Crawley Borough Council’s housing maintenance contractors, has shown its strong commitment to the town by meeting the principles in its Developer and Partner Charter in just 12 months.Mears, a UK social housing repairs and maintenance provider, began working with the council in 2004 and last year signed the Crawley Developer and Partner Charter. Like the council, Mears is a Living Wage employer. The charter includes a set of principles which need to be followed to demonstrate a willingness to support the local economy by using local suppliers, sourcing local labour and raising skills in the area.The highlights of the first 12 months include:
- Out of 40 staff members, 35 are local to Crawley.
- Students completed 221 hours of work experience with Mears last year, all of whom experienced ‘hands on’ work with the operatives.
- Last year saw 2,238 more repairs than 2014, all of which were resourced using local firms.
- All materials which are used in Mears’ repairs are sourced from local firms, ensuring that the local economy continues to thrive.
- All contractors used by Mears must be accredited by industry bodies, showing good practice.
- Mears has encouraged all contractors and suppliers to abide by similar principles.
The council launched the charter in 2012 to help maximise local opportunities from development and investment in Crawley for the benefit of the town’s residents, companies and communities. To date, seven businesses have signed the charter.Councillor Peter Smith, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development, said: “Businesses are increasingly judged for their values and corporate responsibility policies and signing up to the charter is a fantastic way of publicly demonstrating those values.“I’m delighted that Mears is meeting the principles of the charter while maintaining the council’s housing stock. Employing local people and using local suppliers helps to ensure that money stays in Crawley’s economy and Mears is being environmentally responsible by sourcing its workforce and materials from the local area.”For more information on the Crawley Developer and Partner Charter visit www.crawley.gov.uk/business and click on property and development.