South Tyneside councillors award £683,000 contract to company supporting people with sight and hearing loss
Company awarded contract was only one to submit a tender for the work
Senior councillors in South Tyneside have agreed to award a new contract for local services supporting people with sight loss and hearing loss.
Sense Ability Matters Limited has been awarded a five-year contract to help residents with sensory issues to “continue to live well in the community, whilst reducing the demand for council services.”
A report to the borough council’s Reform UK cabinet on Wednesday said the council has a statutory responsibility for the provision of a sight loss support service under the Care Act (2014), including the maintenance of a sight loss register.
Although the Care Act does not “extensively refer to hearing loss support”, the cabinet report stated that “duties apply through its wider framework relating to disability, communication, and wellbeing”.
The cabinet report noted that there was a need to retender the service and that the incumbent supplier, Sense Ability Matters, was the only organisation to submit a tender.
Although the council report said the “number of applicants is disappointing”, it noted that this is “not unusual given the uniqueness of the service and a relatively limited budget”.
The annual contract price of £136,424 was set by the council with the winning bidder demonstrating a high score during a tender evaluation, as well as committing to “deliver social value over the term of the contract”.
The award of the contract from December 2026 was agreed by South Tyneside Council’s Reform UK cabinet on September 23 at South Shields Town Hall.
The report said the decision to award a “five-year contract would have a value of £682,120, with the option for inflationary uplifts to be applied in line with wider council budget setting for the following year”.
There is also an option to extend the five-year contract by another year.
Councillor Elliott Curry, cabinet member for culture, leisure, tourism and voluntary sector, delivered the report to cabinet members.
He said: “The council recognises the value of voluntary organisations, particularly their role in helping to deliver its aspirations and statutory responsibilities with services such as this sensory support service, which helps local people with sight and hearing loss to continue to live well in their community.”