Renfrewshire Council pulls plug on Bell Group contract after 'unacceptable' repair delays for tenants

Renfrewshire Council has ended a contract with a major property services contractor after the company’s performance fell short of its expectations.

Bell Group was appointed by the local authority in October last year to deliver a programme of kitchen, bathroom and rewiring works across 158 homes.

However, the plug has been pulled with work completed in less than half of those after customers received a “less than satisfactory” experience.

That’s according to a letter from the council’s housing project manager that was sent to elected members in the early part of last week.

It added: “Communication from this contractor has been poor, as has the coordination of their trades.

“This has resulted in unacceptable excessive periods of time being taken to complete works in customers’ homes.

“Efforts have been made by the council to bring about improvements in Bell Group’s performance, however, these have proved unsuccessful.

“To this end, in conjunction with colleagues in the corporate procurement unit, housing services took the decision to conclude this contract on September 30, 2025.”

When contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said it shared the “frustration” of tenants and outlined the alternative arrangements for the planned works.

The local authority has also “expressed its dissatisfaction” to Bell Group and sent letters to those affected to explain the circumstances.

A spokesperson said: “We have had to conclude the contract with Bell Group to deliver a programme of kitchen, bathroom and rewiring works as they have not met the council’s expectations, with only 75 of 158 homes having had work completed and unacceptable periods of time taken to carry these out in people’s homes.

“We share the frustration that tenants will have at the delay in works taking place and have committed to carrying out the remaining 35 kitchen replacements through our building services team.

“The remaining refurbishments will be carried out through a new investment programme that we are currently tendering for and expect work to begin on the first homes in February 2026.

“We have sent letters to inform tenants affected which explains the situation and we will continue to engage closely with them around the works that will take place to their home.”

A Bell Group spokesperson responded: “Renfrewshire Council opted to end their contract with Bell Group, a decision both parties arrived at mutually.

“That being said, we are proud of the 100% KPI (key performance indicator) scores achieved across various metrics including H&S and quality for the duration of the contract.

“We remain committed to maintaining positive relationships with all our clients and to delivering high-quality work across our projects.

“We will continue to work constructively with the council to ensure a smooth transition and to support residents throughout this process.”

Bell Group also pointed out it had delivered a number of community benefits during the contract, including litter picks and a food bank donation as well as handing out paint and recycled laptops to organisations in Renfrewshire.