Business as usual for Connaught, despite problems (From Oxford Mail)

Business as usual for Connaught, despite problems

6:24pm Friday 10th September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

THE boss of an Oxfordshire forestry and park maintenance firm has insisted it is “business as usual” despite its parent company going into administration.

Richard Haddon, chief executive of Connaught Environmental, which has its head office in Banbury, said the business is now trading independently of Connaught plc, which saw its social housing business taken into administration on Wednesday.

Mr Haddon said: “There has never been any threat of this business going into administration. It is a strong company with long contracts and a good relationship with customers.”

He added that the company was not considering any offers to buy it.

Formed from the merger of Connaught plc with Fountains a year ago, Connaught Environmental employs 50 staff in Banbury with 3,000 elsewhere. It also has an office in the United States. When Connaught plc was taken into administration, it became a limited company in its own right.

Meanwhile, bosses at social housing provider A2 Dominion, which is responsible for 2,500 homes in the county and employs Connaught to carry out maintenance work, said they have signed up three alternative contractors to carry out the work as an interim measure.

Yesterday it was revealed the bulk of Connaught’s social housing division, which was put into administration on Wednesday in the wake of mounting debts, had been bought by construction firm Morgan Sindall, saving 2,500 jobs.

But a further 700 jobs have been axed by administrator KPMG.