Two Rivers Housing has announced plans to close down its facilities management company Centigen Facilities Management Limited (Centigen FM) bringing the team back in house.
Set up in 2014, Centigen FM currently provides repairs, grounds maintenance and cleaning services to Two Rivers Housing. It also includes the TwoCan Estate Agent brand, which specialises in the sale of market and Shared Ownership homes.
In her first year as Chief Executive Officer, Hayley Selway has been listening to and talking with tenants about their experiences of the repairs and other estate based services. She has also worked closely with the Centigen team to understand what is working well and what needs to change.
Following this feedback, the executive team made a recommendation to the Two Rivers Housing Board to close down Centigen FM and bring the services it provides back in house.
The move will make it easier to make improvements to these services and strengthen collaboration between the teams involved in delivering them. It will also simplify the group’s governance structure and reduce company administration costs.
Two Rivers Housing is now in the process of consulting with the Centigen FM team to complete the TUPE transfer of colleagues. Alongside this, the housing association has reviewed the terms and conditions of the team and made several enhancements to bring these in line with the rest of the Two Rivers Housing Group.
The changes will lead to long-term improvements in services that Two Rivers Housing provides to tenants living in the 4,600 homes it manages in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
Speaking about the decision to bring the repairs team back in house, Hayley Selway, Chief Executive Officer for Two Rivers Housing said:
“Providing great services to our tenants is our top priority and this includes making improvements to our repairs and maintenance services.
“Over the last year, tenants have told us that we don’t always get things right. We have listened and are making the changes that we believe will help us improve the service we provide.
“We have a fantastic team who go out and serve our tenants every day. Bringing them back in house will help us work with and support them more effectively and bring our team closer together as we drive service improvements across the organisation.
“I am also pleased that we have been able to look at and enhance the team’s terms and conditions alongside the TUPE process. The values, knowledge, skills and experience that the team has are vital to our success and this decision is a reflection of the integral role each and every one of them play in helping us provide warm, safe, affordable homes in neighbourhoods where people love to live.”
Subject to consultation with the Centigen team, and various approvals Two Rivers Housing hopes to complete the transfer and closure of Centigen FM by 31 March 2025.