The Cabinet Member Signing meeting on Monday 3 November 2025 approved the extension of current gas maintenance contracts. This decision was made to ensure the continued servicing and maintenance of domestic and commercial heating systems, upholding the council's statutory health and safety obligations.

Extension of Current Gas Maintenance Contracts

Councillor Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning and Deputy Leader, approved a variation and extension to existing gas servicing contracts with Purdy Contracts Limited and Sureserve Compliance South Ltd. These extensions will run for an additional six months, from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026.

The extension for Purdy Contracts Limited will incur an additional cost of £1,305,000.00, bringing the total contract value to £18,759,908.90. Sureserve Compliance South Ltd's contract extension will not alter the aggregated total value, which remains at £11,800,000.00.

The decision was made to ensure continuity in the servicing and maintenance of heating systems, which is crucial for adhering to Regulation 36 of the Gas Safe Regulations 1998¹ and keeping residents safe. This extension was deemed the most economically advantageous route, as a new interim provider would likely have increased costs, which would be challenging in the current financial climate. The extension also aligns with the council's plan to procure new long-term contracts for mobilisation by the start of the new financial year on 1 April 2026.

Alternative options considered included doing nothing, which was not viable due to statutory health and safety obligations. A full procurement exercise to re-tender the contract was underway but would not be completed before the current contracts expired, leaving a gap in service provision. An in-house delivery option was also investigated but deemed not viable due to a lack of necessary skill sets within the housing repair service and the significant time, planning, and investment required to establish such a team in a competitive market.