You may recall my Leader of two weeks ago in which I grumbled about the damage being done to our environment thanks to the mismanagement of our water sector – and particularly the wastewater element. I went on to say how yet again sewage was overflowing from a shared pipe, out through the manhole on my now filthy patio, because mine and my neighbours’ supplier feels it’s better to keep coming out to do clean-ups, rather than fix the problem of too shallow, limescale-inhibited pipes that have shifted over the 130yrs the properties have been standing. When the team told me I’d be seeing them again soon, I had no idea how soon they meant... The technician who had to attend and clean up AGAIN this Monday said that the pipes have actually come apart - which in my view means raw sewage has been, (and still is being) allowed to leach into our land. 

  

Now whether this is the cause of my ills or whether it’s the outbreak the Countess of Chester Hospital was experiencing while we were away last week, (my daughter spent a night in A&E) I have Norovirus. Bad enough in itself but made infinitely worse because the event I’ve been so looking forward to attending – The London Cleaning Show and all that goes with it – has been denied me! From social media posts I can see it’s been lively and I’m looking forward to getting the lowdown from John Austen who, this year, has had to perform our ‘double act’ alone. More to come on the Show and all that’s taking place there, in next week’s issue. 

  

If I’d been able to attend the Show today, I’d have made a beeline for the conference corner, to hear the morning (10.30-11.00) keynote speaker, Peter Arnold, UK chief economist, Ernst & Young, air his views on ‘The outlook for the UK economy - the cleaning and FM sectors in focus’. As well as providing a general overview of the post-Budget landscape and the current health of the UK economy, Peter will focus on recently announced measures relating to items such as National Insurance, and will consider their impact on employers of all sizes - particularly in relation to recruitment and margins. He’ll also discuss the disproportionate impact these measures may have on lower paid workers. “An absolute must-see presentation for anyone with an eye on finances or recruitment across the cleaning and FM sectors” say the organisers, and I couldn’t agree more. What a shame I’m not going to be there to learn more from his speech and the subsequent question & answer sessions! If you’re going to be there and would like to share with Cleanzine’s readers your views on what’s said, please do get in touch.