EIGHTY jobs have been saved in Bournemouth after a Surrey company stepped in to take over a £4 million maintenance contract with the council.

The move follows the announcement that Quadron Property Services Ltd, based in North Somerset, who were awarded the major contract in April, is now in the hands of the administrators.

Business advisory firm Deloitte said Quadron, which employs nearly 400 people, had “suffered from a lack of working capital and cash flow difficulties.”

Daniel Butters from Deloitte told the Daily Echo: “We are in the process of stabilising the business and meeting with staff and customers to assess options and determine the future strategy of the business.”

Meanwhile Surrey-based Kinetics Group Ltd confirmed that the firm had safeguarded 80 Quadron jobs in the town.

Spokesman Chris Cheshire said: “We are delighted to assist Bournemouth at this critical period, we have been involved in securing contracts and protecting jobs elsewhere in the UK where other contractors have only had an option involving insolvency.

“I am particularly pleased that we have been able to safeguard 80 jobs in Bournemouth and ensure that staff will be protected in this period of economic instability.”

Bournemouth council’s director of housing landlord services Gary Josey insisted it would be business as normal. He said: “All locally employed Quadron staff have transferred to Kinetics Group and there will be no redundancies, thus providing the council with a continuous building maintenance service on the same terms and conditions.”