East Devon District Council's new property services partners, Ian Williams Ltd, who maintain its 4,200 council homes, has opened a new office at Woodbury.

The building will be the central hub for the contractors to carry out all aspects of maintaining and improving the council's properties, which includes providing a day-to-day repairs service for tenants and proactively fixing issues before they become a more expensive problem.

The ten year contract, which began in July, also includes bringing empty properties up to standard before being re-let.

Councillor Megan Armstrong, the district council's portfolio holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities, officially opened the new office at a special ribbon cutting ceremony recently.

She said she was delighted to be marking another milestone for the new service.

"This office will exclusively serve our district and marks another step in our journey to review our repairs service which started in 2016. Our tenants tell us that the repair and maintenance of their homes is the area they care about the most.

"We continue to listen carefully to what our tenants want and we have involved them in these changes at every step. At the start of this journey we challenged ourselves about the service we were giving. We have pushed the boundaries with our new partnership with Ian Williams Ltd which has created a fresh approach to what we do."

Councillor Armstrong added: "This new service brings many benefits including a more efficient appointment system, co-location in Exmouth Town Hall and the introduction of property MOTs. We're delighted with the strong partnership we've already formed with them and early feedback suggest that tenants are pleased with the changes."

Craig Jones, Ian Williams Ltd General Manager, added: "Although a national company, Ian Williams has a strong presence and heritage in the South West, so our teams are perfectly placed to have a true understanding of the challenges of operating across the rural communities in East Devon."