Barratt subbies quit Shires site

Subcontractors are walking off site in disputes with Barratt Mercia over payment for work at the Shires in Nuneaton.

Subcontractors have complained the company is refusing to talk to them about money owed for the project to build more than 100 homes and that it claims to have lost important mail.

Paul Heister, of MJE Painting and Decorating Contractors, said his company is leaving the site. He said the company has served Barratt with seven days’ notice. "It was the second letter – it said it didn’t get the first one."

Heister said Barratt owes the firm £12,000. "I have spoken to Barratt numerous times and no one has got back to me. We can only speak to Barratt staff after 4pm. It’s companies like Barratt that would put us under."

Topps Landscapes is also serving Barratt seven days’ notice. Director Paul Merricks said: "We are owed £139,000 – some money is three years overdue. We have served notice that we can’t continue working."

He said Barratt is paying subcontractors on account, which makes it difficult to recover money. "If you take it to court, you don’t know which job it might have paid you for."

He added: "We’re in trouble with VAT, as some work is VAT-applicable and some isn’t – and Barratt won’t tell us which jobs we’ve received money for."

Barratt Mercia managing director James Groombridge told CJ: "We have an excellent record of good relations with our subcontractors based on a policy of prompt payment. We pay subcontractors on time for authorised work carried out on our behalf. In Nuneaton a dispute has arisen with a small number of contractors and we are liaising with them to resolve the matter."