CALLS  are being made to bring housing provision back into Powys County Council’s (PCC)  control as construction giant Kier, continue to face problems.
PCC and Kier work together in a joint venture, Heart of Wales Property Services, and  look after 5,400 homes and 630 properties in the county.
Continued problems with Kier’s share prices have raised fears about the company. 
This could create problems for  the public sector not just in Powys but across the UK.
Plaid Cymru group leader, county councillor Elwyn Vaughan, who represents Glantwymyn has tabled questions to ask about PCC reviewing its links with Kier. He is now going a step further and calling for the joint-venture to be scrapped.
Cllr Vaughan said:  “There are further concerns about the Kier joint venture with Powys Council, Heart of Wales Property Services (HOWPS).
“The time has come for Powys to cease this partnership with Kier, to bring the work in house, under democratic control with the ability to sort matters out. There are severe concerns about outsourcing companies in the UK following the collapse of Carillion.”
In recent days, rumours had circulated that HOWPS have had their accounts frozen by builders’ suppliers in the county. But a spokeswoman for Kier said that this had been looked into and proven to be wrong.
A spokesman for Powys County Council suggested that the announcement that Kier had just been appointed to build new schools in Cambridgeshire showed confidence in the company.
Powys County Council’s director of environment and board member of HOWPS, Nigel Brinn, said that responses regarding Kier would be provided at the next full council meeting in January.