A fond farewell
Chairman of the British Cleaning Council (BCC), Paul Thrupp, bids farewell after a proud two years at the helm.
When you read this column, there will be just a few days left before I step down as Chairman of the BCC, after two years.
It has been an immense privilege to hold this post and I’m very proud of the huge
amount that has been achieved by everyone connected with the BCC during my tenure. All my predecessors have achieved great things over the years and have faced a
whole range of different challenges, however the last year has certainly thrown up some new ones for our team.
When I took up the position in July 2019, it was with the aim of continuing to develop the BCC’s key priorities, including making sure the voice of the cleaning and hygiene industry was heard at the highest levels, and winning more recognition for our ‘invisible’ workforce and the importance of the sector’s work.
For the first nine or 10 months, we worked steadily towards our goals. The BCC supported ‘Thank a Cleaner Day’ in September 2019 as part of our drive towards getting better recognition for the sector.
During the autumn and winter period of 2019, we consulted with the Director of Labour Market Enforcement and we have continued to work with him since, making sure the sector’s voice is heard. In early 2020, we spoke out for the first time against the impact of planned changes to immigration rules which could hamper the sector recruiting the overseas workers we rely on.
The key point here is that the authorities consider cleaning and hygiene operatives as being unskilled, which we in the sector know is not the case. The BCC has campaigned on this issue throughout my time as Chairman.
In March 2020, we released comprehensive research on the cleaning and hygiene industry which revealed for the first time its true size and scale, as one of the UK’s top 10
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sectors, employing 1.63m workers and worth over £54bn. However, the world was then turned upside down as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the UK. This issue dominated the remainder of my term.
I’m very pleased to have seen the sector win recognition for the crucial role it has played, and continues to play, in fighting the virus. In spring last year, I was thrilled when cleaning and hygiene personnel were praised in Parliament. During the last two years we have all been asked to do a range of national media interviews on this topic.
Another key issue which the BCC has campaigned on throughout the pandemic is the need for all cleaning and hygiene industry staff and supporting personnel to be given key and essential worker status. We also issued further research in autumn 2020, which showed the huge impact the pandemic was having on the cleaning and hygiene sector.
One of the proudest moments of my period was seeing the establishment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for UK cleaning and hygiene industry early this year. The BCC is the secretariat for the APPG and we worked closely with industry partners to support its formation. It was particularly rewarding to see such strong interest from MPs and Members of the House of Lords.
Our APPG will play a key role in helping highlight the industry’s concerns over immigration, our desire for an industry-wide apprenticeship, and our campaign for key worker status for all industry colleagues.
Also this year, I have been very pleased to see the Textile Services Association join the BCC, strengthening both our organisations.
The next BCC Chairman will be current Deputy Chairman Jim Melvin, the very experienced Group CEO of The Exclusive Services Group, who is passionate about the industry. He will be supported by a new Deputy Chair, Delia Cannings, another well-respected industry figure. I wish them both the very best for the next two years.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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