The British Cleaning Council and members write monthly columns for both Cleaning and Maintenance and Tomorrow’s Cleaning. You can read recent columns below.
To read the columns as they originally appeared, please visit https://cleaningmag.com/columnists and https://www.tomorrowscleaning.com/back-issues
Act now to secure place on the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative apprenticeship
By Jim Melvin, British Cleaning Council (BCC) Director leading on Government lobbying. (This column first appeared in Tomorrow’s Cleaning).
Following the decision to defund the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative apprenticeship at the end of August, anyone interested should contact a training provider quickly, as 
places are capped.
Details are available via the UK Cleaning Career Development Zone at www.ukcleaning.org.uk
The defunding decision is difficult to reconcile with the programme’s strong performances and even better projections, and has been a real blow to our industry.
Since the apprenticeship’s 2024 launch, uptake has risen 160 per cent, with over 250 apprentices enrolled, 100 completions, and 16 providers delivering training. Employer engagement continues to expand month by month.
The apprenticeship supports career progression, attracts younger entrants, helps address recruitment problems and, in giving young people a better career choice, it also addresses our sector’s ageing workforce.
Defunding it risks weakening this pipeline. Leaving a £72 billion sector employing 1.51 million staff without a key apprenticeship frankly doesn’t make any sense.
The decision is also galling as the apprenticeship offered a route to formal recognition for the skills of sector staff, and it will now be even harder to combat the ‘low skill’ mislabelling of our industry, primarily by each Government.
The creation of the Level 2 CHO provided a route for industry businesses to reinvest their compulsory Growth and Skills Levy payments – estimated at £45–50 million annually – back into their workforce.
There is a clear indication that Levy payments will continue to be compulsory when the apprenticeship is defunded, which means sector businesses will be forced to pay what is effectively a stealth tax.
If that proves to be so, we have advised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that whilst we wish to work with them, we reserve the right to review the legal position which could potentially include a judicial review.
More than 70 per cent of participants are women, and 44 per cent are from ethnic minority backgrounds. The programme provides a formal qualification that supports career progression and widens workforce participation. Removing it risks limiting inclusion and social mobility.
The consistency of standards that underpin public health and safety across the UK could also be at stake. The Government would not seem to have taken into consideration the fact that our industry provides a safety-critical service.
Without a funded, uniform entry-level qualification, there is a genuine concern that standards in critical environments ranging from hospitals and schools to food manufacturing and industrial settings could be affected, increasing the risk of infection spread and undermining preparedness for future public health challenges.
Maintaining high standards of cleaning and hygiene is essential. Sector staff have a safety-critical role and without the right training infrastructure in place, the consequences could extend far beyond the workforce itself. Therefore, we may also seek advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
We have been engaging with the DWP and Pensions and Skills England about this issue, and industry discussions are taking place about potential next steps. We are, and remain prepared to be, collaborative in seeking to ensure that the industry continues to have an accreditation that will ensure we continue the professional, development strategy projected.
However, we have also made it very clear that we will not simply accept the loss of this vital qualification without exploring every avenue available for us to use, which may include working in partnership with other sectors who have also lost their apprenticeship accreditation and are equally as frustrated.
We hope to be able to update you on this very soon.
State of the Market 2026: Local Authority Building Cleaning Services
By Vickie Hacking, Principal Advisor, Association for Public Service Excellence. ( (This column first appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance). 
(APSE)
APSE’s State of the Market 2026 survey provides a comprehensive picture of the challenges, trends, and evolving priorities within UK local authority building cleaning services. Conducted in late 2025 and early 2026, the survey captures perspectives from councils across England, Scotland, and Wales, offering a national snapshot of the sector’s direction of travel
Office buildings and schools continue to be the dominant areas of activity for cleaning teams, with all respondents reporting responsibility for these settings. 2026 also saw an expansion in the variety of buildings cleaned, including markets, entertainment facilities, libraries, and community buildings, signalling diversification to support service sustainability.
Structurally, half of respondents stated their service now sits within a wider facilities management (FM) function, while 41.67% operate a standalone cleaning service. The shift toward integrated FM may reflect councils’ need to generate income and consolidate services under financial pressure.
Budget expectations remain mixed, 33.33% anticipate increased budgets in the coming year, while 41.66% foresee reductions. Staffing costs are the most significant financial pressure, with 100% of respondents reporting that pay-related expenditure has risen markedly. Services have responded by sourcing alternative equipment (63.64%) and adjusting cleaning specifications or staff hours (36.36%).
Despite mitigation efforts, many have had to pass price increases to customers, with a third doing so fully and a further 16.67% partially.
Workloads are expected to rise, particularly for managers with 72.73% of respondents anticipating an increase in their personal workload due to shrinking management capacity. Staff absence remains a consistent challenge, with 42.11% perceiving absence levels as too high.
A significant improvement emerged around pay, with 81.82% of councils now paying the higher Living Wage Foundation rate. Pay increases, although positive for workforce wellbeing, continue to exert pressure on service budgets.
Local authorities are increasingly adopting sustainable cleaning measures, reversing the pandemic‑era decline in environmental focus.
Looking ahead, staffing costs, recruitment, and retention emerge as the most significant challenges for the next two years. Growth opportunities are limited, with fewer councils expecting expansion into new contracts or private sector work.
Overall, the 2026 findings highlight a sector under acute financial and staffing pressure, yet one demonstrating resilience, adaptability, and a renewed commitment to sustainability.
To see the report, visit https://apse.org.uk/index.cfm/apse/members-area/briefings/2026/26-07-state-of-the-market-2026-local-authority-building-cleaning-services/