Tower Hamlets Council is set to replace a non-performing contractor responsible for servicing mobile lifts, including stair lifts and hoists, with Stanna, a country-wide stair lift organisation. The decision follows concerns raised at a Housing Management (Cabinet) Sub-Committee meeting regarding the performance of the existing contractor and its impact on residents.
The council is implementing additional monitoring around the current contract and is working to appoint Stanna as a replacement. The council is also doing more robust contract management of Mears and all of the contractors
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Councillor Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning, voiced concerns about the lift servicing programme during a discussion of the Housing Management Performance and Compliance Report for April 2025. The report highlighted areas meeting targets and those needing improvement, alongside compliance and safety initiatives.
It was reported that the council had a non-performing contractor for mobile lifts and was working to appoint Stanna as a replacement. The council is aiming to resolve the issue in weeks rather than months. The contract covers various types of mobile lifts, including those for disabled adaptations, stairlifts, and hoists.
We have got an underperforming and this is for mobile lifts for sort of disabled adaptation lifts stair lifts, hoists etc,
an officer reported. So we have got a contractor who is not performing and in effect um we are working to get them out of the door we're going through a procurement at the moment uh to appoint Stanna who are a country-wide well-known stair lift organization that do deliver that service and so we're actively um working to appoint them so we can uh part company with the uh non-performing contractor and get um stanna appointed and we're talking weeks uh as a not months where we're on top of it.
The method of selection is described as the council was working to appoint Stanna who are a country-wide well-known stair lift organization that do deliver that service and so we're actively um working to appoint them
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The issue was highlighted by Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who recalled a door-knocking visit where he encountered an elderly resident stuck on the first floor due to a malfunctioning stair lift. He said the resident had been unable to leave her room for six months due to the issue. The mayor said that the existing contractor had repeatedly failed to attend appointments or carry out repairs.
