CONTRACTS for social housing improvement works should be reserved for Torfaen builders, the chief executive of Bron Afon Community Housing was told yesterday.

At a meeting of Torfaen Council, Cllr Fred Wildgust said: "Using contractors from the council's Framework list can only lead to greater local employment. We have to make sure Torfaen workers take priority."

Council leader Bob Wellington also asked: "To what extent are local contractors being used?"

Bron Afon chief executive Duncan Forbes replied: "More than half of contracts are awarded to workers from Torfaen and 94 per cent in South East Wales."

He was presenting his annual report to the full council 18 months after the social housing organisation was created, spending £25 million a year. It has 200 staff engaged in construction and refurbishment with another 50 under training.

Bron Afon is offering support to 2,000 older tenants in the borough, involving 60 further staff. Working with the council, 80,000 calls are being responded to from low-income households each year, it was reported.

Mr Forbes said: "We are investing resources in the local area and not allowing it to disappear further afield."

He said eviction cases had been reduced from 86 to 32 a year.

Serving the needs of 8500 tenants was a big task, he added.

Projects in the pipeline included issuing plastic payment cards to collect rents more efficiently, enforcing fire risk regulations by keeping high-rise landings tidier and care-taking pilot schemes.

Cllr Bob Cunningham's motion that four seminars per year be brought in for members' questions was passed.