Council takes charge of £36 million scheme featuring new homes in Shirebrook and Langwith after Edwinstowe contractor goes bust

Woodhead Construction, which signed a four-year deal with Bolsover Council to construct up to 400 homes as part of the multi-million-pound Bolsover Homes scheme, has reportedly ceased trading this week, with a number of staff taking to Linkedin to reveal they were looking for new jobs.

In order to save the scheme, which includes sites at Langwith and Shirebrook, as well as a new heritage and wellbeing centre in Creswell, the council has chosen to take over a number of building contracts.

Coun Steve Fritchley, council leader, said: “The key thing for me was to keep our building program going to ensure we deliver what we said we would.

“We have therefore employed the current site managers where appropriate and are talking to the sub-contractors to ensure they are fully engaged to make sure the projects continue.

“Once we learned the contractor was to cease trading we took swift and decisive action to ensure our assets were protected and we could continue to deliver what we had set out to do.

“I am a big believer in the council being in control of its own destiny, so we are putting into place plans to ensure we have more control of our future residential and commercial projects.”

At the end of July, Woodhead Construction, part of Woodhead Group, based on High Street, Edwinstowe, announced it was celebrating the two-year half-way point of its Bolsover Homes contract, having built only 37 homes, with 89 in construction or under contract.

A council spokesman confirmed these numbers are still correct, explaining the building project had been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the remaining 200 or so homes were currently still in the design or planning stage and being worked on by officers.

The spokesman said: “We have not incurred any financial losses and have no money tied up with Woodhead Construction.”

Woodhead Construction, which is believed to employ about 150 people, has been approached for comment.