East Ayrshire Council awarded the roof and render works contract to the family-owned business with a view to work starting in March. However, this was placed on hold due to COVID-19 government guidelines.

As restrictions begin to ease and with strict health and safety measures implemented across all A.C. Whyte sites, the two organisations have resumed talks on how to move forward in delivering these renovations safely and efficiently as soon as possible.

Specialising in the major refurbishment of occupied housing for local authorities and housing associations throughout the UK, the £5m contract will see A.C. Whyte renovate almost 500 homes in Kilmaurs, Logan and Dalyrmyple with insulated roofing as part of its mission to improve energy efficiency in homes across Scotland.

A.C. Whyte and East Ayrshire Council share a collective desire to ensure that residents have the best possible experience throughout the project and are focused on delivering quality investment into the community - not just in terms of the home-improvements made, but also in proposed community benefits.

This includes employment and educational opportunities, as well as supporting collaborative working amongst East Ayrshire businesses to boost the local economy. As part of this, the family-owned contractor plans to continue its work with East Ayrshire Council’s Vibrant Communities project which aims to create a clean, green and vibrant region to work, visit and live by bringing local businesses together. This will include A.C. Whyte continue to support initiatives such as gardening and youth empowerment services.

John McIntyre, contract manager at A.C. Whyte, said: “At A.C. Whyte we consistently aim to exceed client and resident expectations. We have been working closely with East Ayrshire Council using our expertise to create a robust and effective plan to successfully fulfil the contract that will be a welcome boost to the community and contribute a significant level of investment to the region.”

With social distancing requirements and a rapidly changing employment landscape, A.C. Whyte is looking forward to exploring how it can best meet its commitments by adopting a different approach when delivering community benefit strategies going forward.

Maureen Stevenson, head of marketing and development at A.C. Whyte, added: “There is no doubt that the current crisis has presented many challenges for us and our partners to overcome, but it has also been a catalyst for innovation and helped us rethink traditional ways of working.

“We pride ourselves on offering real community benefits that have tangible outcomes for residents. Social distancing is posing a unique opportunity to provide bespoke support to the communities we work in by forcing us to be even more creative when considering what these benefits are, and how we deliver them in this ‘new normal’.  We are working hard on what this will be in East Ayrshire and we are looking forward to sharing this with the council team and residents.”