Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109

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CSSA holds 45th AGM and Annual Luncheon at the Savoy

Members of the Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA) attended their AGM and annual lunch in London at the Savoy Hotel last Friday, formally electing Peter Goodliffe of OCS Group as Chairman of the cleaning industry's leading trade association. 

Bob Vincent of LCC Support Services was elected vice-Chairman and Michael Rutherford of Victoria General Cleaning Services was elected Honorary Treasurer.

Addressing the AGM was Lord Razzall, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Trade and Industry and Business in the House of Lords, and renowned broadcaster and political sketch-writer Simon Hoggart.

The 45th CSSA's annual lunch followed the AGM, which was attended by over 250 of the CSSA's members and supporters, as they returned to the Savoy after a successful event last year. The event was sponsored by Templa CMS and Darwin Clayton UK.

In a charity raffle CSSA members also raised £2,300 for Red Kite Learning. Red Kite will invest the funds to improve the employability of individuals who have experienced exclusion from the labour market through the provision of careers advice and guidance.

The event also saw the inaugural students of the CSSA's Diploma in Cleaning Management gain their qualification. Lessons for the Diploma, created in partnership with Cleanwise and Drury PSM, will recommence in the near future.

Commenting on the CSSA's role in the cleaning industry as it passed its 45th year, Chairman Peter Goodliffe said:

"Gathering so many of the CSSA's members and supporters together serves as a reminder of our association's strength and diversity. The CSSA will continue to provide support and guidance to all its members as we navigate these difficult economic times."

Commenting on areas of the coalition government's recovery programme, guest speaker Lord Razzall said:

"BIS is building on the work of Peter Mandelson to focus on the successful British business sectors - aerospace, computer games, pharmaceuticals, and increasingly car manufacturing. Vince Cable has experienced a change in perspective, from one of a firm belief in the free market which allows businesses to sink or swim without government intervention, to one that allows for judicious assistance for those industries that will bring great economic benefits from targeted government support. The results from this investment should be apparent in the near-term."

Simon Hoggart of The Guardian gave a light-hearted address that touched upon the Eurozone crisis, saying:

"It strikes me as amazing that this week the media has been so preoccupied with pasty taxes, caravan taxes and the various government U-turns as a result of the budget, while all the while the Eurozone is slowly crumbling. We could have a 1000% rise in the price of pasties, and it would do nothing to affect the impending economic catastrophe that could be lying ahead of us."

Established in 1967, the CSSA is the UK trade association for private sector employers in the contract cleaning sector. CSSA members are among the leading providers of outsourced cleaning services to the NHS. If you would like to know more about the benefits that the association can bring to your business or are interested in becoming a member of the CSSA, please contact Andrew Large on:

T: 0207 920 9632
E: [email protected]
W: www.cleaningindustry.org

14th June 2012