The British Cleaning Council (BCC) has elected a new Chair and Deputy Chair at its recent Annual General Meeting.
Delia Cannings, who has served as Deputy Chair for the past two years, takes over the Chair from Jim Melvin.
A well-known figure who has worked in the public and private sectors for 45 years across the cleaning, health, hospitality, commercial, education and training sectors, Cannings is the founder and Executive Director of Environmental Excellence Training & Development Ltd.
She serves as National Lead for Education and Training for BCC member organisation, the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (ahcp) and as Deputy Chair for the UK Housekeepers Association (UKHA), Midlands Committee.
Cannings says she will continue with existing BCC priorities including championing education and training and calling for the government to allow more Apprenticeship Levy funding from cleaning and hygiene businesses to be invested in industry initiatives.
Referencing Judith West who served as BCC Chair from 2005 to 2007, she says:
“I am truly humbled to be elected as the second ever Chair lady of the BCC.
My passion for this industry began many years back.
“I have been honoured to observe some great leaders in the field building bridges and striving for change.
Combined with the advancement of cleaning technology, these things have inspired me and enabled the sharing of best practices across the industry by way of education and training.
“We have work to do, that is for sure.
Jim Melvin has left big shoes to fill, and I will give my heart and soul to solidifying the footprint already created in support of the work led by a great man and inspirational leader Jim Melvin.”
The meeting also elected a new Deputy Chair, David Garcia, who is also a well-known industry figure.
Garcia has been closely associated with the BCC Council for a number of years, and is Treasurer and Vice-President of BCC member the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA).
I am truly humbled to be elected as the second ever Chair lady of the BCC.
He has been in the industry for almost 50 years and was the founder and former Chairman of Polaris Plastics, which is one of the UK’s leading providers of refuse sacks and bin liners to the away from home market.
He says: “I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed as Deputy Chair of the BCC.
I’m very much looking forward to working with Delia and other colleagues for the betterment of the Industry in general.
“There is a lot to be done and I am sure under Delia’s leadership there will be some meaningful and lasting developments.
I would like to pay tribute to Jim Melvin and other past Chairs at this time.“
During his time in office, Jim Melvin drove the work of the cleaning and hygiene sector All Party Parliamentary Group, also leading a lobbying campaign for recommendations it made last year to be accepted by the government in full.
He will continue to lead on APPG work during Canning's term in office.
Melvin, who was elected Chairman in 2021, has also repeatedly called for cleaning operatives to be recognised and supported by Government, following the launch of BCC's ‘We Clean, We Care’ campaign last year.
He says: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to be Chairman of the British Cleaning Council and I genuinely hope that we have assisted the associate members and indeed the industry in some way.
“I now pass over to the new Chair in Delia Cannings who has been of outstanding support to me and the BCC in general.
Delia will be a hugely successful leader, with drive and passion aligning with her extensive experience.
“I will be happy to help where appropriate but in the meantime, I would like to thank all the friends and industry colleagues who have supported me over the past two years.”
