FOI - Requesting information - Housing Maintenance
Case reference FOI2025/01097
Received 10 December 2025
Published 10 January 2026
Request
Focal Research has been providing specialist information for 30 years in the UK social housing sector and conducts bespoke research into the businesses, services and systems that support Local Authorities and Housing Associations. As part of this work, the company engages with registered providers to consolidate and confirm important operational information.
Please can you provide the following information:
1. Please could you confirm whether you have a Direct Labour Organisation or Direct Services Organisation (i.e. internal maintenance team) for council housing maintenance, use only external contractors or both?
1. If having a direct led/services organisation, please could you confirm the name the organisation operates under and whether it is a separate limited company?
1. . Please could you confirm who manages or leads said organisation and provide their contact details?
1. Approximately how many people does the direct organisation employ?
1. Does the direct maintenance organisation have its own internal stores for housing maintenance, is contracted out (e.g. Jewsons, Travis Perkins, etc.) or just uses local trade accounts? If internal, please provide the contact details of the Stores Manager. If contracted out, please provide details and relevant branch(es)?
Response
1. Please could you confirm whether you have a Direct Labour Organisation or Direct Services Organisation (i.e. internal maintenance team) for council housing maintenance, use only external contractors or both?
Both - the Council have a small Direct Labour Organisation and use external contractors.
2. If having a direct led/services organisation, please could you confirm the name the organisation operates under and whether it is a separate limited company?
The Direct Labour Organisation is part of the Council, and it is not a sperate limited company.
3. Please could you confirm who manages or leads said organisation and provide their contact details?
The DLO is managed within the Council’s Housing Service. We are not disclosing the name or contact details of the post holder as this constitutes personal data relating to a member of staff below Head of Service level. This information is therefore exempt under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (third party personal data).
4. Approximately how many people does the direct organisation employ?
12 Multi Skilled Operatives
5. Does the direct maintenance organisation have its own internal stores for housing maintenance, is contracted out (e.g. Jewsons, Travis Perkins, etc.) or just uses local trade accounts? If internal, please provide the contact details of the Stores Manager. If contracted out, please provide details and relevant branch(es)?
Contracted out. Huws Gray (Swadlincote) and Travis Perkins (Swadlincote).
Documents
This is South Derbyshire District Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.