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Main picture: a Mears sponsored networking event with senior council and housing association managers. Both are wholly owned by Mears and are registered with the governments Social Housing Regulator as social housing providers. We provide affordable homes to renters and shared owners across the UK - from individuals in need of a temporary home, to families looking to put down roots in an area longer term. Once you know that your family will be joining you please get in touch with the LAASLO team who may be able to offer support please email asylum@newcastle.gov.uk. What exactly does this mean in practice? This division still makes up over three quarters of Mears housing business. When you visit websites, they may store or retrieve data in your browser. Mears is still employed as repairs contractor but now under council management and with its work clearly badg[ed] .. as undertaken by Mears Group PLC to remov[e] confusion for tenants. DRIVE WITH US. Mears is committed to ensuring that asylum accommodation is safe, habitable and fit for purpose and will meet all contractual and regulatory standards. So what sort of company is Mears? 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. The overcharging came from another company sub-contracted by Mears but the councils audit review found that it had not been picked up because of insufficient control mechanisms operated by Mears. The councils report also acknowledged a general break down in trust between the council and Mears. For more information about Newcastle:City of Sanctuary and the partners involved please visit City of Sanctuary. Telephone: 020 7346 1134 These items are used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. In practice, the accommodation is rented from a wide range of housing associations and smaller private landlords, with Mears acting as the overall manager. All rights reserved. As part of the Mears Group we offer partnership solutions and expertise in estate management and property maintenance. I tried to contact them but there was no reply for hours. Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone launches on Monday January 30. These items allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. If you have had a positive decision on your asylum claim and have received refugee leave or some other form of leave to remain then you will be required to leave your asylum accommodation. The same applies to the 94 million Mears currently estimates the housing businesses it has bought to be worth (this may have increased significantly with the purchase of Mities housing division in 2018). 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. More than 50 asylum seekers are in a hotel in Falkirk - and Aberdeen and Perth could house more. The former Erskine Bridge Hotel will offer refuge to asylum seekers arriving in the UK from this week (Image: Andrew Neil) Almost 200 asylum seekers will be placed in an . This scenario has been playing out across the UK since September 2019, when three companies Serco, Clearsprings and the Mears Group took over the Home Office contract for the provision of asylum housing for asylum seekers awaiting decisions (currently 48,000). Advertising networks usually place them with the website operators permission. 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 Allegations involving overcharging scams and corruption hang over deals from Brighton and Scotland. In the five years between 2013-2017, Mears paid out 52 million in dividends, with the amount rising each year. Ellison Place 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. These items help the website operator understand how its website performs, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues. Park Inn: What do we know about asylum hotel at centre of Glasgow attack? If that reputation takes a hit, and local authorities and housing associations are more reluctant to use the company, Mears finances would look a lot less secure. The pots in the kitchen are rusty how can she be expected to use these? NE1 8XS This scenario has been playing out across the UK since September 2019, when three companies - Serco, Clearsprings and the Mears Group - took over the Home Office contract for the provision of asylum housing for asylum seekers awaiting decisions (currently 48,000). In addition, Mears stated in a June 2018 investor presentation that a key priority is to also achieve Registered Provider status in Scotland. The finance director, C.M. (24-hour service for emergencies) I could not afford the move as I already paid over 7000 of my student loan to Mears as rent. Like those companies, Mears is operating in low margin businesses, facing competition for contracts that, for the most part, do not allow for significant amounts of profit to be made. 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. At the end of 2017, Omega managed around 1,000 properties, and Plexus over 1,700. 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. I have been in five different hotels. 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. But it is far from certain the company can be trusted to provide decent homes for refugees. Of course, this personally benefited many local politicians and managers who moved into well-paid private sector jobs. In 2012, Mears bought out Morrison and took over the deal. Read genuine customer reviews of Mears Group in Uddingston, G71 on allAgents, the UK's largest customer review website dedicated to the property industry. Mears offers car & limo service, airport & cruise transfers in Orlando & worldwide, bus charters in Orlando & select cities, taxi & shuttle services in Orlando. Mears has been awarded contracts for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. When you receive your notification please get in touch with the LAASLO team who will work with the Refugee Move on Team at Your Homes Newcastle, to help you to: Your housing provider may already have referred you into the LAASLO Team and someone from the team may contact you. To describe its new business approach overall, Mears likes to use a current regeneration buzzword Placemaking. However, staff turnover remains, in Mears words, unsustainable. This product is licensed from F5 Networks. We have a local group in E16 representing Mears tenants who feel conned and let down by this company. In Sheffield, in October, I visited a family with a 7-year-old daughter, who had reported a boiler failure back in August, when Mears was taking over their house. This is reflected in the non-execs on the board, who are plugged in to these different parts of the regeneration industry. Miles is a long-term Mears manager. Picture: from Brighton & Hove Housing Coalition. She was moved to temporary accommodation which Housing4All and their Housing Rights Watch described on Twitter thus: Resident has been given temporary accommodation but there is currently no hot water or lights in the stairwell which is hazardous. According to its latest annual report, Mears works on over 14% over 650,000 of the social homes in the UK. Email:feedback.mearsliving@mearsgroup.co.uk. His replacement, Kieran Murphy, is an investment banker rather than a builder. Employment Further complaint has been sent., Asylum housing tenants and others have told me of Barnsley HMOs which Mears had not cleaned for months and where basic hygiene repairs had simply not been done. 11:43, 25 JAN 2023. These items are used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. Women in particular never get shampoo and toiletries normal for guests. Social housing specialist Mears Group PLC has been handed contracts worth 1bn from the UK government - a sizeable deal for a company with market capitalisation of less than 400mln. 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. Its revenues more than doubled in size over the previous ten years, increasing from 420 million in 2008. . It deals in information. In Scotland, Mears has a major contract with North Lanarskhire Council, worth an estimated 445 million over ten years, to maintain the councils 36,500 council homes, as well as schools and public buildings. Since September, there have been continual massive delays in the passing on of tenants requests for repairs from Migrant Help to Mears, which Migrant Help puts down to teething problems and high demand. Barnsley has been inspecting all the licensed HMOs which Mears has been using. You do not have any money at all to buy anything extra to what you are given. Mears Living includes Plexus and Omega Housing and Mears Student Life. What next for the Mears asylum contract in South Yorkshire? The company agreed to raise and equalise wages after 80 days of strikes. Mears also offers a range of management services to other landlords, such as income management (i.e., rent collection), and emergency accommodation. Last time they sent somebody who said he had come up from near London, Ruth said. But the plastering scam was not an isolated incident. But it is run privately by a joint venture which is 75% owned by Terraquest. Nov 25, 2021. www.bbc.com . They complain that the contracts with Mears are less favourable than the previous ones with G4S, giving them fewer rights and paying them less, which is one reason Mears have been able to procure only a few new properties in South Yorkshire, with none of the large landlords with many properties signing. 4500 North Mission Road Rosebush, Michigan 48878, Unmatched Capabilities across North America and beyond, Underground Utility and Infrastructure Solutions, Service renewal, meter, piping and relight services, Turnkey, engineer, procure andconstruct (EPC), New construction, integrity andmaintenance services, Fault Locate & Repair (primary/secondary/street light), Cable Installation/Replacement (URDDB / Network ), Cable Splicing 4kV 69kV Transformer & Switch Installation, Conduit/Duct Bank Installation and repair, Full Service crossbore inspection and location of all storm and sanitary lines, Industry leading lateral launch inspection equipment, 100% of footage is reviewed by offsite auditors, Proprietary T.C.A.T. brand of power transmission tower and pipeline inspection services, risk analysis, and real-time data reporting. Mitie Property Management has over 1,000 staff and contracts with more than 30 landlords, bringing in annual revenues of 138 million. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Success team using the Contact Us form on the page. Mears staff and NHS staff also eat the food in the hotels along with residents. Complaints in Parliament and in the media. And in July, the council made a number of U-turns to bring community engagement, neighbourhood employment, and repairs management teams back in-house to council control. The business model is based on trying to undercut councils and social landlords in house services; and there is competition from several big national rivals, as well as smaller local companies. To contact the LAASLO team, pleaseemail asylum@newcastle.gov.uk. In a recent June survey, a majority of asylum seekers in hotels have rated the food provided either okay, good or very good. This storage is often necessary for the basic functionality of the website. Long term debt amounted to 51 million in 2017, down from 60 million the year before, all arranged through credit deals with Barclays and HSBC banks. For example, a website may provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing data about your current location. Its housing with care schemes involve running sheltered housing with carers on call. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Published: January 8, 2019. The Unity Centre in Glasgow and SYMAAG in Yorkshire are two groups actively supporting the struggle for decent housing for refugees. Terry, a design manager speaking fluent English, told me of his concerns about everyday life in the hotels. These officers will support the move on process if you are granted refugee status and will offer advice and signposting if you receive a negative decision on your asylum claim. I wish you good luck and the very best in your fight for a decent place to live The AIRE contract has been a disaster. 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. Should we have an The solicitor can talk to you about legal aid and, if you are eligible, they will apply for this this so that you do not need to pay for their services. additional documentation. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. This storage is often necessary for the basic functionality of the website. Report anti-social behaviour. If you have been granted refugee status, discretionary leave or humanitarian protection you will have similar rights to UK citizens, unless you have been granted discretionary leave with no recourse to public funds. Mears Group, which is being paid by the Home Office to tend to asylum seekers, denied the claims. (24-hour service for emergencies) In fact, he hasnt made anything like his possible top bonus in the last four years. Ruth and the other mothers in a Sheffield Mears mother and toddler asylum house could not get through to Mears to fix their boiler, and faced a cold Christmas day without heating and hot water. Calls are free, open 24/7/365 and accessible to all asylum seekers in the UK. And if people are in hotels instead of being dispersed, nobody has any money to buy even the basic necessities. As of 2017, Mears has the ability to borrow 170 million through those deals if required, plus a new 30 million pot it can access for its new scheme to buy property before selling them onto to long-term developers (see the housing section). Housing Advice and Homelessness - If you need housing advice, are at risk of homelessness or are homeless and have nowhere to stay please contact: Housing Advice Centre Mears agreed to buy Mitie Property Management, the social housing management wing of outsourcer and detention profiteer Mitie, for 35 million. Flexible and commission-free service at competitive rates. We provide and manage 11,000 homes for local and central Government and are also responsible . Terraquests main work is land referencing researching and identifying rights over property, including ownership rights but also things like planning permission. According to the Milton Keynes Citizen, the council asked its auditors to investigate allegations that Mears had overcharged for repairs by up to 80,000 a month, and that 15 million of council money is currently unaccounted for by Mears. While it has enjoyed recent success winning big contracts, things havent been going so well for Mears in the deals it already has. There is in effect an asylum housing landlord strike across the county. All of which could be very profitable for Mears and other private sector partners. Alternatively you can write to us on: Migrant Help, Charlton House, Dour Street, Dover, CT16 1AT. We will push for the Mears contract to be terminated by the Home Office. Use the branch locator to find a contact number for your local branch. However, the market has not been as profitable as Mears hoped. But these all depend on increased local authority funding, which is hard to predict with any confidence. She is former Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust and also now a director of Yorkshire Water. The company employs 12,000 people. We look forward to hearing from you.Find contact details for care, repairs or management queries on our list of local branches. I am pretty sure they are starving during the night. one of the UKs biggest maintenance and repairs contractors, Asylum seekers (were) left in houses with no heating. 033 0678 0277. The roles of national and local governmentSupport for Asylum SeekersSupport after a decision on your asylum claimSupport for Refugees Notably, Orchard & Shipman were sub-contracted by Serco to run much of their asylum housing contract in Scotland between 2012 and 2016. Miles was paid 443,000 in 2017. Migrant Help is a national service, funded by UKVI, providing free, independent advice and guidance to asylum seekers to help make claims for support and give general advice about the asylum process. 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. The Home Office is responsible for managing the dispersal, accommodation and support needs of asylum seekers while a decision on the asylum claim is made. In June 2017 Mears made headlines when it tried to ban workers from having beards. Call Asylum Support Application UK if youre an asylum seeker and cant support yourself financially and want to apply for asylum support. Last week Cllr Paul Wood, Sheffield City Council cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety, talked to me about the widespread problems with the management of the asylum housing contracts by new contractor the Mears Group. Mears Global Luxury Transportation. I have been shocked to read about the plight of asylum -seekers in Mears accomodation& express my solidarity towards them. Almost 100 million of the goodwill is for the home care businesses Mears has bought (see the section on home care above for details). Telephone: 0808 801 0503. Many of these are Terraquests customers. Overview. It has set up a 30 million fund for this sideline. However, Mears two biggest shareholders see themselves as activist investors that involve themselves in the running of their companies. Update: see our new company profile of Mears Group here.. 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 Home Office operate a number of regional contracts to facilitate this. Shareholder Value Management (SVM) is a German investment firm based in Frankfurt. So far, Mears has overall management responsibility for some 10,000 properties. Call Freephone: 0800 170 7008 or email: housingadvicecentre@newcastle.gov.uk Annual salary: up to 37,000.00. Its accounts contain a long justification for the potential of its home care business, and thus maintaining the value of its goodwill. In January 2019 Mears won its biggest deal yet 1.15 billion worth of asylum housing contracts with the Home Office. 2019-12-21 19:00:03 . These items allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. 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. During the Mobilisation period, up to 1st April 2019, Mears will work with the Home Office and service users to make sure that accommodation that is used in the new AASC contract meets the required quality standard. 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. It is important that you seek specialist, professional advice from an organisation who can advise you on this such as: Newcastle Law Centre He is the chairman of the Ordnance Survey, the government mapping service which could be useful for Mears work running the National Planning Portal. www.mearsgroup.co.uk. T: +61 (0)2 9964 9733 F: +61 (0)2 9964 9924 For example, subsidiary vehicle that could deliver funding over 30. We take anti-social behaviour very seriously. We have gone through the teething problems of the Angel Group . Carrollton, TX Orlando Airport and Attraction Shuttle Reservations. You may be able to get housing and money to support you and your family while you're waiting to find out if you'll be given asylum. Residents on the first estate targeted, Fullers Slade, protested at being let down and ignored by YourMK. 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. Despite our size, Mears remains a family company . This storage is often necessary for the basic functionality of the website. (24-hour service for emergencies) Find out about call charges. If you have claimed asylum it is important that you get legal advice and find a solicitor to represent your case as soon as possible, as there are very short deadlines for providing the evidence needed to support your claim for asylum. 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. But this crisis suggests that hotels are being used not just as overspill but as mainstream asylum housing. Croft House There he became a managing director and head of industrial sector. You have rejected additional cookies. So can Mears confidently expect the acquired businesses to bring in profits to justify the current valuations? The LAASLO team will be able to offer advice and signposting. If you have no other means of support you will be provided with accommodation on a no choice basis by one of UKVIs contracted accommodation providers; in Newcastle the housing provider is Mears. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. He is well connected in the university world, as a former director of City University and now of the University of London. Cathodic Protection Design andEvaluation, AC Mitigation Design, Installation, andCommissioning, Electric Transmission and SubstationServices PackageInspection, Evaluation,Corrosion Management, Direct Assessment Integrity ServiceECDA, ICDA, SCCDA, ECDA for CasedPipe, Pipeline engineeringevaluations/assessments, Facility and storage cavern corrosionassessments, Alternating Current Voltage Gradient(ACVG), Current Attenuation with a PipelineCurrent Mapper (PCM), Depth of Cover and Inclination ProfileSurveys, EPC EngineeringProcurement Construction, Marine Crossings (Water-to-Waterand Shore Approaches), Engineering, Procurement andConstruction, Mains Cast Iron and BareSteel Replacement, Auditing Support withState Regulators/ PHMSA, Using software and tools tosupport Distribution, Permits, Road andRailRoad, Environmental, Public Improvement forroad and/or utilityexpansions. Mears financial health at first glance appears solid. If Mears does face financial difficulties in coming years and is unable to pay out the dividends its shareholders have become accustomed to, expect more disagreements between management and shareholders. Call Childrens Panel if youre a child in the UK on your own and applying for asylum. My home is barely habitable, Mears do not seem to be in any hurry & keep wasting time. We will try to sort things out quickly and informally, but if you wish to log your issue as a formal complaint, we will investigate it accordingly. Mears is an enthusiastic part of this. UK Benefits System. You have accepted additional cookies. If something goes wrong and you are not happy with our service, please contact us to let us know. In another hotel near a small town, I talked to a church and a Methodist chapel and they were really good, bringing lots of things, toiletries etc. Almost 3,000 of these are run by Mears two non-profit subsidiaries Omega and Plexus (see section below). . We will immediately start work on the Mobilisation so that we are ready to meet the needs of asylum seekers and their host communities., Mears awarded three Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. Copyright Mears Group PLC. Newcastle upon Tyne As a city we are committed to doing what we can to welcome those seeking sanctuary and to help rebuild lives. For example, in recent developments in Luton and Basingstoke. 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. Mears Group. Scottish media reported allegations that he had been ousted for asking awkward questions about the Mears contract. In December, I discovered April and her disabled family, forced into a totally unsuitable house in Rotherham by previous provider G4S and then ignored and neglected by Mears, left with a flooding living room and rats in the kitchen. Mears home care division provides care to 15,000 older and disabled people. 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. He then found a home at Mears in 2013, becoming Chairman of its social landlord businesses Omega and Plexus. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm It is important that you seek specialist support to help you consider your options. In January Cllr Paul Wood chair of Sheffield City Housing told SYMAAG '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. Both Serco and G4S complained of losing large sums of money on the previous deals.