BOLTON firms are celebrating after being chosen to carry out building, maintenance and landscaping work across the borough.

Bolton Council has chosen the firms for five new projects, covering joinery, painting and decorating and plastering, and hard and soft landscaping.

The programmes will span three years.

The first is for joinery work with a total estimated value of £450,000. Contractors will supply and fit doors, repair kitchen units, reception desks and counters, and construct and install internal ramps for disabled access.

The chosen companies are AGR, based in Bolton, along with Rochdale’s Jackson, Jackson & Sons and Manchester’s H Timmins.

Martyn Dawson, a director at Horwich Business Park-based AGR, said: “I’m over the moon. We applied for four or five but I’m pleased to be included on one. I don’t know the details but we employ 20 local staff and this is great news.”

AGR’s customers include Bolton at Home, Bolton and Wigan councils.

The second contracts are painting and decorating worth an estimated £300,000 in total. Seddon Property Services, Chorley’s Bell Group, SML in Preston and Simmons Services in Liverpool have been chosen.

Seddon Property Services is part of Bolton’s Seddon Group. Mark Brindley, joint managing director for Seddon Property Services, said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen for this important appointment and look forward to using our painting and decorating expertise for the council.”

The third is for plastering work with a total estimated value of £30,000. The work could include listed buildings such as Bolton Town Hall and liaising with the conservation section.

Mercer Brothers and HeightVale, both based in Bolton, along with Hughes Brothers, in Leigh and Preston’s W Monks, have been chosen.

Dr Diane Foote, one of the two women directors at Turton-based Mercer Brothers, alongside Alison Mercer, said: “We’re delighted to be included on this plastering framework which begins in April. We have more than 50 staff and work across the region.”

The fourth is for hard landscaping for new surfaces and corrections to existing installations, such as lifting and relaying of flagstones.

The chosen companies are Bethell Group, Bolton, Rochdale’s Cooney and Bury’s Groundwork Landscapes.

The fifth framework is for soft landscaping with a total estimated value of £90,000.

The work includes maintenance and repair of all types of shutter doors. The chosen companies are Rochdale’s Jackson, Jackson & Sons, Rochdale, Landscape Engineering in Burnley, Groundwork Landscapes, in Bury, and PJ Carney, also in Bury.