A multi-million pound upgrade of council tenants’ kitchens and bathrooms is ahead of schedule, a housing association boss has said.

The head of Merton Priory Homes, which took control of Merton’s council housing earlier this year, said the project was on track.

Managing director Pauline Ford said upgrades at six pilot properties would start this month - and homes across the borough were now being surveyed to see if residents had any special requirements before the main work begins.

About £10million is due to be spent on improvements before the end of March, as part of £129million ten-year upgrade programme.

Ms Ford said: “We understand that people are keen for this programme to start as quickly as possible. However, when managing a multi-million pound investment that is going to make such an immense difference to the lives of our residents this needs to be done properly and provide value for money.”

She added: “We are now working with our residents and contractors to agree the details and efficiently mobilise the contracts. Our resident volunteers are now working on inspecting different materials, bathrooms and kitchens etc, so that we get the best possible solution for homes in Merton.”

New tenancy agreements have also been sent out to MPH residents in the wake of this year’s transfer. A spokesman for the organisation said anyone with questions about completing the forms should visit circleanglia.org/merton-priory-homes or call 0300 500 3000.

MPH has also appointed building and engineering business Osborne to make repairs on its properties - the company will replace Connaught, which went into administration last month.