WORK has started on a £15.1m scheme to refurbish kitchens and bathrooms for thousands of council tenants.

Charter Community Housing, which controls about 4,000 council homes in north Oxfordshire, has appointed contractors Property Care and the Apollo Group with the work, which is expected to take four years to complete.

The two companies were chosen after an extensive selection process involving Charter board members, residents and staff.

Clerk of works Darrell Ferry said: "The refurbishments are carried out to a tight deadline to ensure minimum disruption to tenants.

"A typical kitchen will take seven days, from start to finish - including stripping out, upgrading electrics and plumbing, fitting, decorating and laying the floor.

"Residents will be fully consulted along the way and can select everything from flooring and tiling through to work surfaces, cupboard doors and paint."

Mark Johnson, Charter's head of property services, said: "We wanted to ensure that we achieved best value for money for our residents and we are confident that both Property Care and Apollo will do excellent jobs within what is a very strict budget."

The move comes after it was revealed in October that Charter was looking for a partner organisation to help with development plans.

Last February, the Housing Corporation decided to place Charter under supervision over concerns about its governance and long-term business plan.