Norse and Great Yarmouth Borough Council in new joint venture

Norse Commercial Services and Great Yarmouth Borough Council have formed a new Joint Venture Company to manage and maintain the council’s community housing stock.

GYN Asset Management Services took over the asset management and building maintenance of the Borough Council’s stock of 6,000 houses as of October 1st.

The 10-year agreement is initially worth around £6 million a year, and is expected to rise over the coming years. It extends Norse’s partnership with Great Yarmouth Borough Council – GYB Services, another joint venture between the two organisations, handles local services including refuse collection, cleaning, grounds maintenance, pest control, and other frontline services.

The new partnership will take over Strategic Asset Management, Responsive Repairs, Voids Maintenance (housing stock that becomes vacant), Major Works, Planned Improvements, Cyclical and Statutory Maintenance, Neighbourhood Plans and New Builds.

There will be significant investment in new vehicles, and in IT aimed at improving efficiency and responsive repairs timescales.

“We are really pleased to be building on our long-term relationship with Great Yarmouth Borough Council, which goes back to the formation of GYB Services in 2002,” commented Norse Managing Director Peter Hawes. “This new partnership takes the number of joint ventures Norse Group has with UK local authorities to twenty-three, with a combined annual turnover of more than £140 million.”

Cllr Penny Linden, the borough council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “This new joint venture company aims to make sure all maintenance and improvement work is done to the highest standards, in the most effective, efficient and economic way.

“By operating more efficiently, the borough council will be able to make savings, which will benefit tenants as the savings will be re-invested in council homes.

“And the new approach will also mean improved waiting times, a better quality of work, and overall better customer care, while providing a range of apprenticeships and increased opportunities for local businesses.”

This partnership follows the recent formation of Newport Norse, a joint venture in South Wales, and the company expects further significant growth over the next few months. Norse Sales Director Geoff Tucker said, “With these new partnerships, and a large number of contract awards across the UK, we have seen a 15% increase in turnover this year, and we expect this success to continue.”

18 additional staff TUPE transferred into the new company.