Purpose

To seek approval to increase the cleaning establishment within the Property Service by 2 x 15-hour satellite cleaner roles to support operational delivery across council sites.

Decision

RESOLVED that:

The approval of the addition of 2 x 15-hour satellite cleaner posts within the Property Service establishment.

Reasons for the decision

1)    Ensuring Effective Resourcing

Maintaining a safe, clean, and compliant environment across all operational buildings is a core responsibility of the Property Service. Adequate in-house resource is essential to deliver this consistently, minimise reliance on costly external contractors, and ensure the Council retains control over standards and service delivery.

2)    Supporting Service Resilience and Flexibility

Additional resource will provide the flexibility needed to manage staff absences due to annual leave or sickness and respond to periods of increased demand. This will reduce the need for reactive short-term solutions and enable a more predictable and resilient service.

3)    Maximising Operational Control and Efficiency

Bringing cleaning provision in-house has already demonstrated improvements in quality, oversight, and operational control. Expanding this capability will allow the Property Service to maintain consistent standards across all sites, particularly residential properties, while also offering the potential to generate additional income from tenant cleans.

This proposal is expected to deliver significant operational and financial benefits, including reduced costs through less reliance on external contractors, greater control and oversight of cleaning standards across all sites, and enhanced flexibility and resilience to manage staff absences or increased demand. It will maintain consistently high standards of cleanliness, reduce pressure on existing staff, and provide the opportunity to generate additional income by offering cleaning services to commercial tenants.

Alternative options considered

1)    Do Nothing

2)    Increase Cleaning Establishment by Two Part-Time Roles