Redbridge says it was ‘disappointed to learn’ 140-year-old business had gone under last week
A council in east London has admitted that it was “disappointed to learn” the contractor building a £20m leisure centre went into administration last week.
The collapse of Jerram Falkus last Monday after 140 years in business appeared to have caught Redbridge council off-guard.
The firm, which was based in Shoreditch, was building a new leisure centre and extending a secondary school in Wanstead for the council.
In a statement, Redbridge said: “We were very disappointed to learn that Jerram Falkus has entered administration, especially as we were nearing completion.
“Although this setback is entirely beyond our control, the council remains absolutely committed to completing the new leisure centre.”
The council said it had now taken possession of the site and added: “Work to appoint a new contractor has begun so the final stage of the project can move forward with minimal disruption.” Work is slated to foinish this summer.
The job to expand both Wanstead High School and the neighbouring leisure centre was supposed to finish last autumn.
But that date was already five months behind an earlier completion date with the job having been on the blocks since 2020.
In its last set of accounts for the year to July 2024, Jerram Falkus’s turnover was up 7.5% to £50m while pre-tax losses narrowed from £5.4m in 2023 to £342,000. The number of people at the business dropped from 86 to 68.
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