Hackney,
07
January
2021
|
11:38
Europe/London

Over 100 Hackney Council cleaning staff brought back in-house

Hackney Council Director of Sustainability and Environmental Services John Wheatley, with cleaning staff in new uniforms
Terry Edwards and John Wheatley from the Council's Environmental Services team, with cleaning staff as they started the new year as Council employees

Over 100 cleaning staff at Hackney Council have been brought back in-house, as part of the Council’s commitment to bringing more services back under direct Council control. 

As of 1 January 2021, staff working at over 110 council buildings, including the main campus on Mare Street, offices around the borough, libraries and concierge offices on estates, are directly employed by the Council. 

Residents will also be able to see the difference - with staff now wearing new council uniforms and personal protective equipment following their transfer into the Council’s Environmental Services team, which also delivers street cleansing, refuse collection, recycling and other waste services. 

“
Deputy Mayor Cllr Rebecca Rennison, Cabinet Member for Finance, Housing Needs and Supply
We committed in our manifesto in 2018 to reviewing all outsourced services, with a view to bringing them back in-house. This is just the latest service where we’ve been able to deliver that and I’m delighted for our cleaners, many of whom have been at the Council for years, who will now officially become part of the Council, and benefit from improved terms and conditions. 

We’re continuing this work at pace, and looking at further opportunities to insource services, helping us provide a better package for staff and deliver better services to residents.
Deputy Mayor Cllr Rebecca Rennison, Cabinet Member for Finance, Housing Needs and Supply
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Insourcing Council services wherever possible is a key part of the Council’s work to deliver high quality services that represent value for money for local taxpayers and rebuild a fairer local economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – ensuring that fair pay, good employment opportunities and workers’ rights are protected in the borough’s economic recovery.

This follows last year’s decision to bring parking enforcement officers back in-house, the insourcing of the Council’s fleet maintenance service, the expansion of existing in-house provision in areas like housing and highways maintenance, and the Council’s commitment to pay a London Living Wage to all staff – as well as encouraging the borough’s businesses to do the same.