2 June 2016 | James Richards

Turnover for the cleaning sector connected to building and landscape activities hit £23 billion in 2014, according to a report from the British Cleaning Council. 

The study, published last week, revealed the total turnover for the UK cleaning sector in 2014 was £3.6 trillion, with almost half (49 per cent) provided by the ‘combined facilities support activities’ area. 

The British Cleaning Council, industry body for the sector, conducted the research over a six-year period up to 2014. The survey covers employment, wages, demographics and company turnover. 

According to the findings, the UK cleaning industry is more reliant on immigrant labour than other sectors, with 24 per cent of workers coming from outside the UK, compared with an average of 18 per cent in other sectors. 

BCC chairman Simon Hollingbery said the “important function” of gathering industry statistics of this kind used to be conducted by the now-defunct Asset Skills Sector Council.  

In January this year, FM World reported the sudden demise of the Building Futures Group, into which the Asset Sector Skills Council had been merged along with the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) in 2014.