A multi-million pound tender to repair homes in Walsall has been put up for grabs by housing bosses.

The successful contractor will look after 1,240 flats, bungalows and houses run by Beechdale Community Housing Association.

The deal worth £19.5m will require properties on the former council-run estate, once home to celebrities Noddy Holder, of Slade, and Rob Halford, of Judas Priest, to be maintained over the next 10 years.

BCHA was launched in 1996 after taking over the estate from Walsall Council following a tenants’ vote.

Housing association property asset manager Alan Critchley said: “We will also be looking for social, environmental and neighbourhood inclusion and initiatives from our successful partner.”