The Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA), a contract cleaning organisation in the UK, officially relaunched on 1 February after a two-year hiatus.
Lee Baker of the British Cleaning Council (BCC), which the CSSA belongs to, said in a Cleanzine article: “The BCC is delighted that the CSSA will be fully functional again. There was a growing feeling in the industry over the last two years that contract cleaning, being very specialised, wasn’t being represented… so we welcome them back.”
In 2013, the CSSA merged with fellow organisations Asset Skills and the Facilities Management Association (FMA) to form the Building Futures Group (BFG). However, the CSSA ended its involvement in 2014 and the association has been inactive since then, noted the Europen Cleaning Journal (ECJ).
The BFG recently announced its closure (read our coverage here).
Former members and directors of the CSSA ‘met in London at the end of last year and decided to make the CSSA full operational again, saying the contract cleaning sector needs specialised representation,’ continued the ECJ.
“The new CSSA wants to reach out to smaller companies, and the organisers stress that the association will be run differently from before, i.e. they want it to be very inclusive, run by the membership for the members’ specific needs… no branching out from contract cleaning & support services,” stated Mr Baker. “The plan is to build it up from base and we expect that it will probably take 12 – 18 months to get it back to being fully functional.”
‘There are plans for big member benefits, together with a code of practice, as well as plans to lobby government on industry-specific issues like the In/Out European Referendum and the Apprenticeship Levy,’ reported the Cleanzine article. ‘Organisers say there will be a real culture change in the running of the organisation, and (they) are encouraging SME’s and start-ups to get involved in the new structure right from the start.’
Also, the ECJ story announced that any company who joined the CSSA before the relaunch at the beginning of this month was offered ‘founding member’ status.
“Becoming a re-launched CSSA ‘founding member’ will resonate in the sector and let everyone know – suppliers and clients – that we’re back as an independent, industry specific organisation,” said director John Findlater.