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This experience, combined with our expertise in housing repairs and maintenance, means we are a strong partner for the government to deliver asylum accommodation and support that is safe, habitable and fit for purpose. This division still makes up over three quarters of Mears housing business. Published: January 8, 2019. Links. Use the branch locator to find a contact number for your local branch. This is the first time Mears has worked as a refugee landlord. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm To find out how to apply for a council or other housing association home and to see properties that are available to rent please visitYHN, Private Rented Housing - For advice about renting a house privately you can contact the Private Rented Service at privaterented@newcastle.gov.uk. I would like to thank all those individuals, in particular Terry, who gave their time and testimonies to jointly create this piece. In January 2019 Mears won its biggest deal yet 1.15 billion worth of asylum housing contracts with the Home Office. [1] Finally, Mears has also started to develop and build houses itself, particularly as part of regeneration schemes. Mears housing business falls under three headings: maintenance, management, and development. Ellison Place Privacy is important to us, so you have the option of disabling certain types of storage that may not be necessary for the basic functioning of the website. But it is run privately by a joint venture which is 75% owned by Terraquest. This is the living room. David showed me damaged furniture and a decaying wall cupboard, then a storage area with stained and damaged wall and dirty stair carpets. The company says it is still trying to grow its home care business but only with contracts that can provide clear and sustainable margins (in other words turn a profit). Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. Employment In 2017 he also joined the board. Charities run the helplines. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Quanta Services, we can . According to its latest annual report, Mears works on over 14% over 650,000 of the social homes in the UK. I tried to contact them but there was no reply for hours. A private "social housing" business, Mears Group, is about to become one of the UK's biggest refugee landlords, winning three ten year asylum accommodation contracts from the Home Office worth a total 1.15 billion. The Mears Group are doing exactly the same. In 2016, the Brighton Argus reported residents complaints of being charged up to 30,000 at twice the cost advised by independent surveyors. And in October 2017 the council started a new investigation into further overcharging discrepancies with electrical work carried out directly by Mears. 407-422-2222. For more information about Newcastle:City of Sanctuary and the partners involved please visit City of Sanctuary. We have gone through the teething problems of the Angel Group . Mears Group plc ( LON:MER ) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. This is under the control of the Home Office and the UK Visas and Immigration department who decide who can legally reside in the UK. www.mearsgroup.co.uk. Financial information on the new contracts has not yet emerged and we do not know if the government bowed to the contractors demands to increase payments and profit levels. Mears is clear about how Plexus and Omega can play this role, saying that its affordable housing arms assist and support developers on section 106 agreements.. The roles of national and local governmentSupport for Asylum SeekersSupport after a decision on your asylum claimSupport for Refugees But for Mears, this will mean taking one of its main competitors out of the game. The National Audit Office (NAO) is currently also investigating the new asylum housing contracts; it is calling for evidence from asylum tenants and anyone involved in the contracts. Tel: 0191 2737961www.redcross.org.uk. Media. We aim to provide excellent customer service, but recognise that sometimes we might fall short of your expectations. Email. Plain City, OH Don't let the name fool you: inside you'll find modern, cleanly decorated spaces that are ideal for student living, with different options to suit different tastes and needs. In an investor briefing last year, Mears management said they had decided to turn their focus to bigger deals, particularly from central government: Evolution of business means we are gaining access to opportunities previously out of our reach.. At the time of writing, the top five biggest stakes are held by investment funds: Most companies on the stock market have similar ownership profiles, with no single investor having close to a majority stake. Its critical that ministers recognise this crisis and act to ensure some of the most vulnerable people in our society are protected. In early November, the Independent reported on Mears cases in Halifax, Leeds and Sheffield where Asylum seekers (were) left in houses with no heating in rat-infested homes. But we have no way of knowing the true scale of harm or dangerous situations resulting from the new contracts. Residents in the asylum housing Mears provide have no tenants' rights, and regularly report damp, ill-repair, rat . Mears current Chief Operating Officer, John Taylor, was Chief Executive of Orchard & Shipman when they won the deal working with Serco. The council put the regeneration scheme on hold in January 2018. opportunity that fits your companys profile, a representative will reach out to you for For more details visit, To receive updates on homelessness prevention and financial inclusion related services, provision and changes linked to the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, please, subscribe to the Active Inclusion Newcastle information update by emailing. Prompt rental payments, whether your property is occupied or not. When the contracts start in September 2019, Mears will run asylum seeker housing in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and . Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Success team using the Contact Us form on the page. These items are used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. Home Office statistics show that there were 34,354 new asylum claimants in the UK (main applicants only) in the year ending September 2019, 22 percent more than the previous year and the highest level for three years. Even with infamously low wages being paid to staff, many contracts do not pay enough for companies to break even. Highest UK asylum claims since 2004 Councils to be forced . Using the form below. NE1 6SQ. G4S lost all its asylum housing contracts in 2019 after a sustained campaign over six years by asylum tenants with the courage to complain and challenge the international security company as their landlord. Meanwhile, Mears top brass receive handsome rewards. There he became a managing director and head of industrial sector. Residents on the first estate targeted, Fullers Slade, protested at being let down and ignored by YourMK. At. Before joining Mears in 2012, Willie was head of Glasgows arms length company City Building, which was spun-off from the city councils old building services department and became embroiled in scandals over awarding contracts to several Labour Party donors. You can change your cookie settings at any time. It told maintenance teams they needed to shave in order to wear appropriate dust masks effectively. Chips and crisps from 1.30 in the afternoon to 8 oclock the next day., Poor health care for pregnant women, people not tracked, Terry told me, In the hotel where I spent two months there was a pregnant woman who was visited by the midwife. John Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of Mears said: Mears provides housing and care to many thousands of people all across the UK, including some who are vulnerable. Mears has been awarded contracts for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. Failings in one branch saw people left without medicine and meals. Mears claim to provide rapid response repairs but all they do is avoid responsibility and sparing on repair costs. It is important that you seek specialist support to help you consider your options. Image Library. In Belfast, the BBC reported in September that a woman asylum seeker reported water leaking into her kitchen. Mears do not want to take responsibility for the lack of repairs (in my case it is ceilings falling in, kitchen floor caved in, windows nailed shut, bath rotting) and they offered me another of their overpriced properties only when I started suing them. It finally turned a very small profit on home care in 2017, after it had closed a fifth of its branches, mostly in the north of England. In a June 2018 presentation, Mears identified four major housing maintenance competitors: Wates, Fortem, Kier (click here for our profile of them), and Mitie Property Maintenance, which it has since bought. At the end of our discussion he told me: I intend to instruct officers tomorrow (16 January) that the policy of Sheffield City Council is that we want this asylum housing contract to revert to the Council. In January 2015, North Lanarkshires Labour council hit a crisis, as one Labour councillor named Tommy Morgan was sacked from his role as chair of the audit and governance panel. Downloads. A separate investigation by Audit Scotland also concluded that the councils accounting of money payments in the Mears contract was not illegal. Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm If you have had a negative decision on your asylum claim then you will also be expected to leave your asylum accommodation and your financial support will stop. Tel: 0191 245 7301www.refugee.org.uk, West End Refugee Service (WERS) After asylum seekers register their asylum claims at the Home Office in Croydon, they may stay with relatives or friends to await the outcome of their claims, signing at reporting centres, or (which happens to the vast majority) may be sent to IACs (Initial Accommodation Centres) and from there to asylum housing. Picture: from Brighton & Hove Housing Coalition. I have never had any money. You should receive 28 days notice of the date that you must leave. In the five years between 2013-2017, Mears paid out 52 million in dividends, with the amount rising each year. Ahead of a press conference on Monday morning, Ms Qureshi said: "While the people of Glasgow pick up the pieces of Mears' neglect and provide human support, Mears Group picks up a 1 billion . This model of local public provision was attacked by Conservative and Labour governments from the 1980s on. When you visit websites, they may store or retrieve data in your browser. Another big Mears contract is the 200 million, ten year housing maintenance deal with Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC), which began in 2010. Of course, these institutions are also big property owners and developers in their own right. While it has enjoyed recent success winning big contracts, things havent been going so well for Mears in the deals it already has. Like G4S, Serco, Capita and other well-known outsourcing corporations, Mears Group has grown from the ongoing privatisation of public services. In one house with six residents the landlord discovered that Mears workers had taken out a faulty boiler which was still under warranty and were in the process of doing checks to install a new boiler, leaving the residents without heating or hot water. If it is out of hours (after 5.30pm or any time at a weekend) and you have nowhere to sleep please contact: 0191 278 7878 (Ask for the 'Emergency Homeless Officer'). Mears/Terraquests biggest coup is running a big piece of the whole UK planning system: 90% of all planning applications in England and Wales (according to a Mears presentation) go through one internet system called the National Planning Portal. Park Inn: What do we know about asylum hotel at centre of Glasgow attack? (24-hour service for emergencies) The Mears Group, which has the Home Office contract to house asylum seekers in Glasgow has been heavily criticised for its decision to move around 400 asylum seekers in Glasgow claiming it was . Clearsprings, Mears and Serco are contracted by the Home Office to provide housing for people seeking asylum, as part of a 4bn ten-year contract. I emailed my emergency contact at Mears, who unsurprisingly was on holiday and unavailable. We relet properties with them on the promise from Chris that everything would . There are a number of organisations which can help you to look for work. 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Our role is in liaison with these private contractors to try and ensure that they can respond to local circumstances and to then manage the move-on arrangements when people are granted refugee status. Advertising networks usually place them with the website operators permission. The majority of the IRRs work is free to access. Collective protests now from people in Urban House IAC in Wakefield today 30 January, 10 am this morning 50 in peaceful protest at Urban House asylum hostel run by private company Mears. Complaints in Parliament and in the media. While those seeking asylum have no choice over where in the UK they are dispersed to, we take great pride in the fact that so many refugees chose to settle here once their claim for asylum is determined. As part of the contract, Mears will be responsible for the upkeep of thousands of homes occupied by asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be processed. From its beginnings in pipeline engineering, it has grown to be a leader in corrosion engineering, pipeline integrity management, pipeline rehabilitation and horizontal directional drilling. Phone Number: 1-989-433-2929: Mears Group, Inc. industries Building: Headquarters Location: 5051 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas . We have asked our external auditors to investigate fully, as is right, to establish if the allegation has any basis and will act accordingly., A Mears spokesperson said: Mears does not in any way recognise these claims and are not aware of any audit being undertaken within the council. But, at least, providing this service must give it a real familiarity with the planning system and how it works across the country. It is important that you seek specialist, professional advice from an organisation who can advise you on this such as: Newcastle Law Centre Over the past four months, the combination of these delays and Mears contract performance its failures in terms of the quality, cleanliness and general management of homes have failed tenants. He then worked from 2004-15 as a partner and senior advisor at Gleacher Shacklock, a corporate finance consultancy set up by another ex-Dresdner banker. Cllr Wood said Sheffield, too, was prioritising inspections of asylum houses and concentrating resources there. Mears makes much of being a high quality and socially responsibly company. 2020, when 7 Scottish MPs cited "no confidence" in the "evaluation" into the impact of Covid-19 on asylum-seekers, with the group walking out of a meeting with government officials, and supporting calls for a full independent inquiry . Legal changes and budget controls pushed the privatisation of council housing in a number of ways, including Right to Buy sales and the mass stock transfer of around 1.9 million homes from councils to housing associations.