Cleaning services in Brent’s council estates are to be brought in-house following concerns around the current contract.

Brent Council’s cabinet unanimously agreed to the changes, which it said will result in a “better service for residents”.

The decision was supported by members of the GMB union, who applauded the announcement at Brent Civic Centre.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Vaughan West, regional political officer and organiser for the GMB London region.

“These services deserve to be brought in-house and the employees deserve to be treated fairly.

“And if you’re treated fairly, the overall level of service will improve.”

The move comes after residents living in the estates were dissatisfied with the level of service offered by the current provider – Wettons Cleaning Services.

Wettons assumed the role in 2013 but resident surveys found issues relating to overall service, responsiveness to complaints and work with other contractors.

Several cabinet members pointed out that bringing the services in-house was a clear pledge in Brent Labour’s 2018 manifesto.

Cllr Tom Miller described the move as a “no brainer” and said it was a positive development in managing “one of the most difficult contracts in Brent”.

And Cllr Eleanor Southwood, responsible for housing and welfare reform at Brent Council, said it was important to address such a “fundamental service”.

She said: “Council tenants and leaseholders have been telling us for some time that the current cleaning arrangements aren’t working, and this is a great opportunity to do something about that.

“I know how important it is for people to feel happy with where they live, and the cleanliness of our blocks is a huge part of this.

“With the cleaning service back in house, it will give tenants and leaseholders much greater control over the service they pay for as we are committed to developing a resident-led system which works well for all of us.”

The new service, which is scheduled to come into effect in September, will be subject to a consultation – those wishing to have their say on how it develops should email housingmanagement@brent.gov.uk.

Nicola Holmes, managing director at Wettons, explained that revised specifications in the 2013 contract meant it had changed cleaning frequencies and reduced costs.

She said: “We have been made aware over the last few months that the London Borough of Brent had the intention to bring all out sourced contracts in-house in line with their manifesto.

“We have worked with Brent Housing and Brent Council since 2003 having successfully retendered the cleaning contract on a number of occasions.

“We are now committed to work with Brent Council to ensure a smooth transfer to their in-house teams.”