Council shops local for major purchase

A fleet of new service vehicles will start being delivered the grand total of one mile to Redditch Borough Council’s Housing Property Services this month.

It’ll take just three minutes for the 60 new vehicles to complete the short trip across Arrow Valley Country Park to the council’s Crossgate Road operations headquarters, after a £1.9m fleet replacement contract was won by nearby Startin Group.

The new council-branded vans are set to become a familiar sight across Redditch as the authority’s plumbers, electricians, and other staff start using them to serve tenants across over 5,500 properties in the borough.

Half of the new vehicles will come into service this year and the rest next year, under a planned replacement programme to deliver improved long-term reliability and value for money. With many of the vehicles they will replace being over a decade old, the move will reduce growing reliability issues that have resulted in avoidable delays and disruption for tenants.

Redditch Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Bill Hartnett, said: “This investment supports our wider commitment to continually improving services for our tenants, and we’re delighted to have been able to use a local business for what we need. These vehicles will enable housing property services teams to more efficiently support customers for years to come.

“Redditch Borough Council always prefers to shop local but this gives a new meaning to local. Being local can actually help you win council business, because it can count for you in the official procurement processes. I urge local suppliers to keep a close eye on our procurement channels for contract opportunities, and consider joining the frameworks that supply our sector too.”

The council awarded the contract to Startin Group, which is headquartered in Redditch, via the Crown Commercial Service public sector supply framework.

Lee O’Connell, Startin Group’s head of group fleet, said the council agreement is an early validation of the group’s investment. “Supplying Redditch Borough Council is exactly the kind of work the new Startin Fleet Hub and compound was built for. Public sector fleets need dependable delivery, clear communication and vehicles prepared to a consistent standard. This facility gives us the control and capacity to do that properly.”

Redditch Borough Council’s social housing functions are not funded by council tax. They are funded by the low social rents paid by tenants - plus some extra Government funding from time to time.

Pictured

Cllr Bill Hartnett (R) and Interim Housing Property Services Manager Andrew Rainbow (L) with the first tranche of the new vehicles alongside frontline staff (L-R) Callum Wilkins, Adam Darby, Pete Morris, and Lee Footit, accompanied by Startin’s Darren Phillips and Lee O’Connell.