The election of the new Labour Government has opened new doors for the British Cleaning Council’s (BCC) campaign to make the voice of the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry heard, it believes.
The BCC extensively lobbied the previous Government in support of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry’s report, ‘Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK’, but with little success.
The industry body for the sector believes that newly-elected Labour ministers and the party’s 404 MPs are likely to be much more interested in what the sector has to say, while the Government’s agenda for growth also provides a new opportunity.
Senior members of the BCC recently met with leading industry figures and lobbying experts to review the lobbying campaign following the General Election, and to discuss whether to support the re-establishment of an APPG for the sector, after all APPGs were dissolved ahead of the election.
The group agreed on the need for the APPG to be re-established, and is working to refocus and relaunch the lobbying campaign. As a first step, it has contacted Cabinet Secretary Pat McFadden to offer to contribute to the review of national resilience taking place in response to Baroness Hallett’s first COVID Inquiry report.
Immediate Past Chairman of the BCC, Jim Melvin, said: “Our industry strongly believes that the country lacks resilience and proper preparation for the next pandemic. The recent concern about Klebsiella pneumoniae and international alarm over the mpox virus shows that the risks have not gone away.
“Based on the proven premise that the proper practice of hygiene can help prevent, delay and mitigate the impact of a pandemic, the APPG report made 11 recommendations as to how resilience and preparedness could be enhanced by actions taken by, and in partnership, with our sector and our people.
“As representatives of one of the largest and most important industries in the UK, worth nearly £60bn and employing 1.47m, it is important that the Government listens to what we have to say on this issue and we are optimistic that this current Government is more likely to do that.”
Current BCC Chair, Delia Cannings, added: “Better hygiene nationally can help ensure that workplaces are healthier and staff take less time off sick, which in turn will support the Government’s growth agenda.
“This is about ensuring that the Government recognises the vital role of staff and the sector in protecting the health and wealth of the nation.”
The BCC’s mini-manifesto launched before the election set out the industry’s priorities to help create a resilient UK. The key points included:
- The urgent establishment of a joint Government/cleaning, hygiene and waste industry preparedness team to plan for public health emergencies.
- Agreement between Government and industry on the minimum levels of cleaning materials, equipment and PPE that should both be held in reserve and be able to be manufactured rapidly in emergency situations.
- In the event of another pandemic, Key Worker status must be bestowed upon cleaning operatives and on staff working in cleaning product supply and manufacturing.
- Urgent consideration must be given to making cleaning staff eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa scheme.
- Minimum standards should be agreed for the provision of cleaning and hygiene infrastructure across a wide variety of key venues.
- A standard qualification for cleaning to be developed within the Apprenticeship Levy.
- Government communications around hygiene in times of public health concerns or national emergencies should be clear, consistent, sustained, timely, relevant and specific.
