Two housing associations which pledged to provide better services for residents have completed their merger.

Rosemary Simmons Memorial Housing Association, based in Esher, and Crown Housing Association, based in Cheam, amalgamated on Friday, August 1 to create Crown Simmons Housing.

The combined organisation now owns and manages about 800 homes and provides services for more than 1,000 people.

Paul Yates, chief executive of Crown Simmons Housing said: "I’m delighted that we’ve completed the merger to form a new organisation that is looking to achieve much more than either could have acting alone."

Crown Simmons Housing said the merger will allow them to improve their services to customers, develop or acquire a number of new homes and further extend their existing management services business.