A campaign has been launched to tackle rogue hand car washes across South Shropshire by Stuart Anderson MP.
In a written parliamentary question, Anderson asked ministers at the Department for Business and Trade to bring forward legislative proposals to establish a licensing regime for hand car washes. Responding, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets, Justin Madders MP, says that the hand car wash sector is one of the government’s “priority areas”.
He says: “The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) have taken a proactive stance working closely with Nottingham Trent University who have utilised the template of standards established by the Responsible Car Wash Scheme to understand the issues and maximise opportunities to address them within current legislation.”
“As the scheme has concluded, the government is assessing these evaluations to understand how both to bolster compliance and support sector-led initiatives. The Home Office and enforcement bodies, such as the GLAA, continue to support industry initiatives aimed at improving standards.”
Anderson’s calls follow revelations that thousands of people are being forced to work long hours for little or no pay and under the threat of violence in what has been called an “endemically unlawful and non-compliant sector”.
He says stronger and more effective enforcement is needed to ensure that operators comply with employment law, discharge of waste correctly and arrange appropriate insurance cover.
In a letter to the Minister, Anderson has now requested urgent action to aid better enforcement. He has said that the Department for Business and Trade should establish a mandatory licensing regime for hand car washes and that the Responsible Car Wash Scheme’s (RCWS) ‘Code of Practice’ should be put on a mandatory footing.
He is also promoting the Safe Car Wash app, which was launched in 2018 by modern slavery charity, The Clewer Initiative. Having been downloaded 40,000 times, it enables people who use hand car washes to identify and report modern slavery. Questions are asked related to indicators of modern slavery, which are then assessed.
Reports that score over the threshold of concern for modern slavery and exploitation are then referred to the Modern Slavery Helpline and passed on to the police, where appropriate. Since launching, more than 9,000 reports have been received. The data has enabled law enforcement agencies to follow-up on businesses that may be exploiting workers.
Anderson says: “Car washes should be safe for everyone, including those who work there. They should also be environmentally responsible, protecting the integrity of our natural environment and countryside. A licensing model would prevent non-compliant businesses from setting up shop in our communities. I hope the government will seize this opportunity to ensure the robust enforcement of regulation. In the meantime, I encourage anyone who has concerns about exploitative practices at hand car washes to report them via the Safe Car Wash App. As we have already seen, a single report could save lives.”
As part of his campaign, Anderson had a meeting with Gordon Balmer and Alexander Russell from the Car Wash Association (CWA). Balmer says: “It is most encouraging to see the launch of the campaign to enforce compliance with existing regulations that will aim to crack down on non-compliance in the hand car wash sector. These operators openly disobey the law by dodging tax, illegally discharging toxic chemicals into storm water drains, employing people illegally and failing to provide mandatory PPE protection for workers. It is a hotbed for the practice of modern slavery and money laundering and on behalf of the CWA we greatly appreciate the valued support of Stuart Anderson MP who has chosen to tackle this issue to re-establish a level playing field with compliant car wash owners operating lawfully in this sector.”
