WMS

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by WMS's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from WMS is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.wms-gb.com

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

46 | WMS

Michael Sussex, managing

director

The WMS senior

management team

Starting a new business is daunting, but when Michael

Sussex established Westcountry Maintenance Services

(WMS) in October 2007, the economy was experiencing

a particularly serious downturn. Although it was a particularly

difficult time, he strongly believes this has contributed to the

successful business it is today. Starting in a recession meant

that WMS had to tailor everything to clients’ requirements,

trade keenly and keep overheads to a minimum, and, moving

forwards, they have continued to trade with these principles. He

started the business after an MBO, and was fortunate enough

to novate all previous customers across, which provided them

with a solid foundation to continue.

I started my career as a carpenter and joiner through an apprenticeship scheme,

and then continued to supervisory level before moving into management. My

understanding of site logistics and what things are like on the ground has helped

to contribute to our success. From the outset, my wife Anthea, who has extensive

experience in finance, has been our finance director, and a massive asset to the

business.

Family values

Our approach right from the offset has been not to be the largest company, but

to aim for high standards, flexibility and quality. Our company values are honesty,

trustworthiness and a constant focus on delivery. This in turn has led to establishing

FACTS ABOUT

WMS

»Managing director:

MichaelSussex

»Established in 2007

»Based in southwest England

»Services: 24/7 responsive,

planned and cyclical painting

and decorating, alongside

commercial and heritage

refurbishment for local

authority bodies, housing

associations, architects and

surveyors

»No. of employees: 78

»Regularly work with around

80 subcontractors

»www.wms-gb.com

WMS

47WMS |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

strong, long-term relationships with

clients, which are built on honesty and

a high level oftrust.

We aim to run WMS as a family

business by working as a team and

treating everyone as an integral part

of what we do. We are certified as

Investors in People, and the values

from this accreditation fit with exactly

how we want to run our business. We

want employees that are efficient and

can work as a team, and we endeavour

to retain these people by supporting

them and making sure they feel

valued. All management operate an

open-door policy, and are encouraged

to support their team, which provides

positive working conditions where all

employees are valued and encouraged

to develop their skills.

Employing new people can be difficult

at times, and we work with our clients

to headhunt the correct people within

the marketplace. This approach has

reaped rewards with our clients,

and together, we have been able

to continually improve what we do.

We recognise that the construction

industry workforce is generally getting

older, and the need to train more

tradesmen is of paramount importance

to our future. This is why we actively

work with local schools to support

work experience, and aim to take on at

least four apprentices eachyear.

Remaining local

It is important that we remain a local

SME contractor. Over the years, I have

seen many large organisations “talk

the talk”, but fail when it comes to

delivery. On several frameworks, we

have been the smallest contractor, but

by doing what we say and delivering a

programme both on time and within

budget, we have been able to increase

our work packages to become the

largest. Being a smaller company

means that we have a smaller chain

of command; clients know that all our

staff live within the local community,

and, therefore, we are responsible at

all times for what we deliver. At the

end of the day, I always try to remain

available.

This also means that the cashflow

stays within the local community.

Planning a job

It is important

that we remain

a local SME

contractor. Over

the years, I have

seen many large

organisations

‘talk the talk’

but fail when it

comes to

delivery

“

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

48 | WMS

When we work in our area, 63p in

the pound goes into the regional

economy, as opposed to 40p when a

national company carries out contracts.

We actively look to support local

subcontractors and suppliers. If we win

a new tender, we work with our clients

to use smaller subcontractors, taking

them under our umbrella, offering

programmes such as health and safety

training. We also inform them about

preferred payment schemes, which,

in turn, help them to take on larger

contracts and grow their business.

We are always keen to support local

projects and organisations. Social value

is a vitally important part of what we

can provide, and, currently, we are

supporting a number of projects either

for the associations we are working

with, or local community projects such

as the Mayflower 400-year celebration

bonfire in 2020, hosted by the Great

Torrington Cavaliers.

Going forwards

It is important that we take on projects

that fit with our skill set. While

we are always striving to find new

opportunities within the marketplace,

it is important that we do what we

are best at. We always need to evolve,

challenge ourselves and look to

innovate further, but by delivering on

familiar projects, we have grown year

on year when the funding available

has diminished through social housing

rentcuts.

Having this ethos has set us apart from

many competitors as one of the best

providers for social housing and local

authorities within the South West.

Recently, we have started to take on

larger one-off refurbishment projects,

such as working in Great Torrington

to refurbish the town hall through

a grant-aided project supported by

the National Lottery. In 2015, we

diversified slightly by purchasing a

specialist painting company, Williams

and Martin, based in Cornwall. This

has strengthened our existing painting

skill set and capabilities in the county.

Have we been successful? I think so.

In 2007, we employed six people, and

achieved a turnover of over £2 million;

this year, however, our workforce is 78

strong, and we expect our revenue to

reach £10 million. More importantly,

we have put ourselves in a position to

take on larger projects and support our

existing clients in all areas of our work,

whether a contract is commercial,

residential or heritage, whether it’s

refurbishment, painting or decorating.

We’re now operating throughout

the South West with a dedicated

workforce supported by a strong

management team. This growth is

against industry standards and bucking

the trend of our local economy. This

is something I am personally very

proud of, and I look forward eagerly to

another ten years of WMS thriving.

While we are

always striving

to find new

opportunities

within the

marketplace,

it is important

that we do

what we are

best at

“

WMS team at work

www.wms-gb.com

This article was sponsored by WMS. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from The Rt Hon Theresa May MP.

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

This foreword from the then Prime Minister appeared in the 2018/19 Parliamentary Review.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review. For Her Majesty’s Government, our task in the year ahead is clear: to achieve the best Brexit deal for Britain and to carry on our work to build a more prosperous and united country – one that truly works for everyone.

The right Brexit deal will not be sufficient on its own to secure a more prosperous future for Britain. We also need to ensure that our economy is ready for what tomorrow will bring. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is our plan to do that. It means Government stepping up to secure the foundations of our productivity: providing an education system that delivers the skills our economy needs, improving school standards and transforming technical education; delivering infrastructure for growth; ensuring people have the homes they need in the places they want to live. It is all about taking action for the long-term that will pay dividends in the future.

But it also goes beyond that. Government, the private sector and academia working together as strategic partners achieve far more than we could separately. That is why we have set an ambitious goal of lifting UK public and private research and development investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. It is why we are developing four Grand Challenges, the big drivers of social and economic change in the world today: harnessing artificial intelligence and the data revolution; leading in changes to the future of mobility; meeting the challenges of our ageing society; and driving ahead the revolution in clean growth. By focusing our efforts on making the most of these areas of enormous potential, we can develop new exports, grow new industries and create more good jobs in every part of our country.

Years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people have got our deficit down by over three quarters. We are building on this success by taking a balanced approach to public spending. We are continuing to deal with our debts, so that our economy can remain strong and we can protect people’s jobs, and at the same time we are investing in vital public services, like our NHS. We have set out plans to increase NHS funding annually by an average by 3.4 percent in real terms: that is £394 million a week more. In return, the NHS will produce a ten-year plan, led by doctors and nurses, to eliminate waste and improve patient care.

I believe that Britain can look to the future with confidence. We are leaving the EU and setting a new course for prosperity as a global trading nation. We have a Modern Industrial Strategy that is strengthening the foundations of our economy and helping us to seize the opportunities of the future. We are investing in the public services we all rely on and helping them to grow and improve. Building on our country’s great strengths – our world-class universities and researchers, our excellent services sector, our cutting edge manufacturers, our vibrant creative industries, our dedicated public servants – we can look towards a new decade that is ripe with possibility. The government I lead is doing all it can to make that brighter future a reality for everyone in our country.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Prime Minister