ONE of the legacy policies of the former Labour ruling group at Thurrock Council has been delivered – with a private firm taking over facilities management of the authority's buildings.

Before the new contract came into force, the services at council buildings, including the town hall, civic offices, libraries, hubs and other facilities across the borough were delivered by several small and medium sized contractors managed by departments within various council directorates. Some services were delivered in-house – latterly on a number of short-term extended contracts.

Property maintenance specialist DMA Group has been appointed by Thurrock Council to deliver Hard Facilities Management services across its corporate estate. It will take over services that were previously contracted out over a varying number of years, totalling £19,575,727.

In July last year the Labour cabinet voted to leave delivery of the contract to the Interim Chief Operations Lead – Place, Paul Crick.

Mr Crick appeared as one of the most highly paid council officers in the UK earlier this year when he featured in the taxpayers' alliance 'Rich List'. The position comes at an annual cost to council taxpayers of at least £277,344.

A report, containing little specific information, was presented to the cabinet by Public Protection and Constitutional Affairs portfolio holder Cllr Lynda Heath. Her presentation and recommendations were accepted without any questions or debate and the entire agenda item took just five minutes and 23 seconds to be passed.

Under the three-year contract, with options to extend, DMA will provide a fully integrated service, including reactive repairs, planned preventative maintenance, statutory compliance testing, asset installation and minor project works.

Few details have been given about the new contract, which runs for the next three years, with an option to extend for a further two annual extensions (3+1+1), subject to performance. Nor has information been given about what will happen to a few existing service providers – for example, Aaron Services has a £5 million contract over ten years, that runs until January 2031.

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DMA says it will prioritise local supply chain engagement and employment opportunities within Thurrock, alongside apprenticeship pathways to support skills development in engineering and building services.

Steve McGregor, Executive Chairman of DMA Group, said: "We are proud to have been appointed by Thurrock Council through the Fusion21 framework. This partnership is about delivering visible improvement, strengthening compliance and providing long-term value.

"By combining experienced engineers with our BiO® digital platform, we will deliver a transparent, accountable and future-ready Hard FM service that supports the Council's operational resilience and sustainability objectives."