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Mears, the leading provider of repairs and maintenance, has been awarded a contract by Medway Council to provide repair and maintenance for its 3,013 homes plus 199 leaseholders for another five years. Mears started working with Medway in 2009 and have developed an excellent relationship. The renewal of the contract will ensure the continuity of service for all residents.The service offered by Mears will not only include responsive repairs and maintenance but will provide modernisations and large maintenance projects such as fitting new kitchens and bathrooms and exterior redecoration.The Property MOTs is a new service being launched and will cover 600 homes each year; the MOT will be undertaken when the gas servicing annual check is completed. The property MOT will take between three and four hours and will be a proactive approach to undertaking repairs and maintenance in residents' homes. A trades person will undertake a “health check” of the property completing low-level repairs whilst on site that may not have been reported for which the council has responsibility.As part of the contract Mears will employ up to 20 local apprentices and support the local economy by offering opportunities to smaller specialist subcontractors. Also the Mears’ operation is relocating to Gillingham, where the majority of stock is located. The site will have a facility providing tenants with free internet access and offering training opportunities in DIY, computer skills and CV writing.Lucas Critchley, Mears Group Regional Director, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be working with Medway Council for the next five years. The partnership has delivered considerable successes over recent years and the new contract offers a huge opportunity to take the already very good service on to the next level."Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Howard Doe, said: “We are always striving to deliver the best services to our tenants and with Mears on board with this new contract, we can continue to provide an efficient and quality repairs and maintenance service to those living in council accommodation.”Medway Council’s Deputy Leader and Porfolio Holder for Finance, Cllr Alan Jarrett, said: “The Category Management team at the council received high praise from their housing colleagues for the manner in which they navigated the tricky procurement process. I am particularly pleased to see the opportunities that the new contract will give to Medway apprentices and SMEs.”