Kyndi
 | |
| Kyndi | |
| Formerly | Medway Commercial Group |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Care technology |
| Predecessor | Medway Commercial Group |
| Founders | Medway Council |
Area served | Medway |
| Products | Assistive technology |
| Owner | Medway Council |
| Subsidiaries | Kyndi Care Limited |
| Website | www.kyndi.co.uk |
Kyndi Limited, referred to as Kyndi, is a wholly-owned trading company of Medway Council in Kent, England.[1] It was originally incorporated on 21 December 2015[2] as Medway Commercial Group Limited[3][1] (MCG) (Company No. 09923387) following a Cabinet decision in November 2015 to form a Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) under the Local Government Act 2003.[4][5] The company formally commenced trading on 1 April 2016, taking over the Council’s control centre functions (CCTV monitoring, telecare, out-of-hours and lone-worker alarm services) from in-house delivery.[6] Medway Commercial Group was established under the Council’s powers as a LATCo (Teckal-compliant, 100% council-owned) to allow the service to seek external customers and reinvest any surplus back to the Council.[4][6]
Notable council figures in the formation included then-Portfolio Holder Cllr. Andrew Mackness (who became MCG’s first board Chair) and corporate directors Richard Hicks, Tim England and John Britt, who prepared the initial business case.[6] In January 2021 the MCG board approved a rebranding; the name was changed to Kyndi Limited at Companies House in March 2021.[7][5] This rebranding (approved by Cabinet in October 2020) was part of a new business strategy to refresh the company’s brand and facilitate growth beyond Medway’s public sector market.[7][8]
Operations and services
[edit]
At launch, Kyndi’s (then MCG’s) services comprised the Council’s CCTV partnership, telecare/telehealth alarms and out-of-hours emergency response, plus a lone-worker personal alarm service.[4][6] The company later expanded its portfolio to include agency recruitment services (staffing for Medway social care) and other contracts, though the recruitment agency business was transferred back to the Council in April 2022.[9]
As Kyndi, the company now provides technology-enabled care solutions and monitoring across multiple channels. Its core offerings include 24/7 CCTV monitoring, telecare (personal alarm) monitoring, lone-worker and out-of-hours call handling, and associated hardware/assistive-technology services. Kyndi also launched a branded line of telecare products (Lifeline alarms, wearable devices) and an online “Virtual House” showing assistive tech. Its subsidiary Kyndi Care Limited (Reg. 10043013) is used to facilitate trading with private-sector clients.[8]
In practice, Kyndi continues to serve the Medway area – operating from its Innovation Centre headquarters in Chatham and a CCTV operations centre – but has also sought external contracts. The company’s stated aim is to “ease the worry of carers and the cared-for” by offering care-monitoring solutions both within and beyond Medway.[8] During 2021–2022 Kyndi reported its strongest performance to date, with business areas including CCTV, telecare and (earlier) recruitment all contributing to profitability.[10]
Geographical scope
[edit]Kyndi’s activities are rooted in Medway: it took over services from Medway Council’s Control Centre and serves the Medway urban area. Initially it also provided CCTV monitoring for other Kent councils that had joined Medway’s CCTV partnership (though Swale and Maidstone had already left and Gravesham later withdrew). In recent years Kyndi has explored wider markets: its subsidiary Kyndi Care was explicitly created to trade with private-sector clients.[8]
However, as of 2023 the company’s major contracts remained local authority or NHS-related (for example, the COVID-19 testing centre logistics and capital projects like CCTV installations, which boosted its 2021–22 turnover).[10] A Medway Council report notes that Kyndi has built revenues of over £12.8 million and net profit of £677k in 2021–22, driven by recruitment and other projects.[10] Council documents also forecast growth in the company’s scope, noting that Kyndi Limited is to trade mainly with public bodies while Kyndi Care Limited targets private clients.[8]
Governance and management
[edit]Medway Council is the single shareholder of Kyndi Ltd. and its subsidiaries.[8][11] The company is governed by a board of directors appointed by the Council. For example, in 2022 the two council directors were Cllr. Howard Doe (Chair) and Cllr. Wendy Purdy.[10]
The other directors have included various non-executives with industry experience (e.g. Ashley West, Steven Hughes, and later Peter Little and Anna Simmonds) and an executive director. Board meetings are held quarterly and reported to the Cabinet Sub-Committee (Shareholder Board) for oversight.[11] In day-to-day operations, the company has a Chief Executive Officer and senior management team. Since September 2023, Clare Elizabeth Burgess has served as Kyndi’s CEO.[12] In November 2024, Rosalind Victoria Adby was appointed as a non-executive director.[13]
The company operates under the Local Government Acts that allow councils to create trading subsidiaries and provide them with commercial loans.[8]
Financial performance
[edit]Financial reporting on Kyndi has been mixed. In its early years MCG ran losses: a 2019 Cabinet report noted a £667,000 loss in FY2018/19.[14] The company received additional loans from the Council to support restructuring. By 2021–22 Kyndi had returned to profitability, securing £12.884 million revenue and a net profit of £677,000.[10] In 2023, the Council reported a net pre-tax profit of £308,000 for FY2023/24.[11] As of 2024 the outstanding Council loan was approximately £1.145 million.[11] Annual accounts are filed at Companies House.
Controversies and investigation
[edit]From 2019 onwards, Kyndi (as MCG) was involved in a financial controversy. In March 2019 Medway Council and Kent Police were alerted to potential irregularities, triggering an Economic Crime Unit investigation.[15] Police reviewed financial records covering 2017–2019. As of April 2025 the investigation remained ongoing.[15]
In June 2021, three individuals (a man and woman from Tenterden and a man from Hoo) were arrested on suspicion of fraud, and two others were later interviewed.[15] No charges have been announced to date. Opposition councillors have raised questions about oversight and accountability. Issues cited include MCG’s losses, project failures, and high agency payments.[16] Independent auditors and legal advisors have since been brought in to support governance reforms.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Medway Council via its local authority commercial arm, Kyndi (formerly known as Medway Commercial Group)." Gravesham Borough Council: Corporate Register of Partnerships and Shared Working Arrangements – Strategic Environment Cabinet Committee (July 2023)
- ^ "Kyndi Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". web.archive.org. 2025-05-05. Archived from the original on 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
- ^ "Kyndi Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". web.archive.org. 2025-05-05. Archived from the original on 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
- ^ a b c "Cabinet Minutes – Establishment of a Local Authority Trading Company". Medway Council. 24 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Kyndi Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Shareholder Board Minutes – MCG Launch". Medway Council. 5 April 2016.
- ^ a b "MCG Shareholder Report". Medway Council. January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kyndi Strategic Business Plan". Medway Council. October 2020.
- ^ "Shareholder Board Minutes – Kyndi Business Model". Medway Council. 12 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Kyndi Governance Review". Medway Council. 20 October 2023.
- ^ "Companies House Officer – Clare Burgess". Companies House. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Companies House Officer – Rosalind Adby". Companies House. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Cabinet Report – MCG Financial Overview". Medway Council. May 2019.
- ^ a b c "Kent Police investigate Medway Commercial Group". KentOnline. 18 March 2019.
- ^ "Labour criticise handling of MCG investigation". KentOnline. 27 October 2020.