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
The year in review: A platform for success in 2026
By David Garcia, Chair of the British Cleaning Council. (This column first appeared in Tomorrow’s Cleaning).
As I look back over the past 12 months, I am pleased to report that 2025 was a good year for the BCC.
We’ve had a number of notable successes and have achieved good progress in several key areas.
The London edition of the Cleaning Show in March, which the BCC co-produces, was a huge success, with an extra 2,000 square meters of exhibition space due to demand 
from exhibitors and visitor numbers up to 8,000. It is encouraging to see the industry’s flagship event doing so well.
The BCC launched two major initiatives at the show. We published our annual research report, which is packed with essential facts and figures about the cleaning, hygiene and waste sector.
This year’s report showed that the value of the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry had jumped by more than ten percent in 12 months to reach a record-breaking figure of nearly £66.9bn.
The document also reported that 1.49m staff were employed in the sector. The industry figures marked a strong recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.
We also launched the UK Cleaning Career Development Zone (www.ukcleaning.org.uk) at the show.
This exciting development brings together information about training and career development opportunities from across the industry into one place for the first time, where they can be easily accessed online, for free.
The publicity around it promoted cleaning industry careers, with the strapline ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ and a picture of a rocket. We have continued to update the website and promote it throughout the year.
In April, we were delighted to accept the Independent Washroom Services Association (IWSA) as the BCC’s latest member. The synergy between the BCC and the nationwide, non-profit making trade association for independent providers of washroom services will strengthen both our organisations.
In May, we received an extremely encouraging response to our campaign to lobby the Government to adopt the proposals made in the report Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK.
In a letter, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Abena Oppong-Asare MP said the Government recognised ‘the vital role that the cleaning and hygiene sector plays in ensuring public health and mitigating key risks, both in its routine work and during public health emergencies’.
In June, I was honoured to be elected BCC Chair, replacing Delia Cannings, who did a fabulous job during her two-year tenure. I made unity my key theme. I believe the industry needs to work together more closely if we are to make our voice heard louder.
Over the summer, the first apprentices passed the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative apprenticeship. This initiative has got off to a great start since it was launched last year.
In September, we attended the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) Awards, a fantastic event which celebrates the talent in the cleaning and hygiene industry.
In October, we launched our Strategic Framework For Achieving Cleanliness And Hygiene in Public Environments, which provides a framework of systematic guidance on how to develop cleaning and hygiene policies for public spaces aimed at preventing the spread of infectious disease, and which complements WHO handwashing guidelines. We’ve shared the framework with MPs and the press.
Our lobbying work continued with a productive meeting with William Cook of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
In November, we pulled together the results of a survey of BCC members which will determine our strategy going forward. You’ll see the results of this work in due course.
So we go into the new year in a strong position, with a good platform on which to achieve even more in 2026.
BPCA launches ambitious new recruitment drive
Recruitment is a key challenge facing the pest management sector and here, Chief Executive at British Pest Control Association (BPCA) Rosina Robson, shares the steps
the organisation has taken to tackle the issue. (This column first appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance).
It’s no secret that our industry faces a demographic cliff edge. Nearly 40% of the UK pest management workforce is expected to retire within the next decade, while demand 
for professional pest management services continues to grow.
When I joined BPCA earlier this year, members across the country were united on a very specific issue – recruitment.
Trying to find and keep good people is a strain on businesses of all sizes and it is increasingly imperative to attract a more diverse, skilled and inspired workforce into pest management.
In an ambitious attempt to get to the heart of pest management and demonstrate the opportunities for a vital and exciting career in the industry, our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee became the driving force behind a comprehensive recruitment campaign.
Informed by our members and committee volunteers, the campaign has resulted in a new online hub dedicated to careers in pest management which launches at the start of November, our new Open Doors Charter, a strategic social media campaign designed to reach thousands of potential recruits and a short film that captures the heart of the industry.
Drive the Talk / Split the Difference is based on a script developed on feedback from BPCA volunteers, many of whom also stepped in as extras during filming which took place at a professional studio in London using a purpose-built virtual production set.
Working with Liquona, one of the UK’s top 25 creative agencies, we captured the diversity, warmth and professionalism that define our sector while delivering the clear message that pest management protects people, property, the environment – and is all about variety, problem-solving and pride in doing something that matters.
The film sits at the centre of pestcareers.org.uk, the first dedicated online space to inspire, inform and connect potential recruits with real career opportunities in pest management, explore routes into the industry and understand what life as a pest professional is really like.
Alongside the hub we’re launching the Open Doors Charter, giving BPCA members the chance to demonstrate their commitment to an open and welcoming workplace culture which rejects discrimination and proactively supports new entrants into the industry.
In support of these ambitious projects, BPCA has also made a significant investment in a strategic nationwide social media campaign which will reach thousands of people with the aim of sparking curiosity and channelling potential recruits to pestcareers.org.uk, where they can take the first step towards joining the industry.
Over the next year, we’ll continue adding more resources, stories and tools to support members and aspiring professionals alike. We’ll also be working with schools, colleges and career advisers to make sure pest management is recognised as a legitimate, rewarding trade career, right alongside plumbing, electrics and construction.
I truly believe this project represents one of the most important steps BPCA has ever taken to secure the future of our sector. Because when someone joins pest
management, they’re not just taking a job, they’re joining a profession that protects people, property and the planet. That’s something to be proud of.