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Here’s where we get our say. This is a collection of archived news stories from our website and our thoughts on current issues of the day. Please feel free to email us with your thoughts.

30/09/2009: MP: Cleaners more valuable than bankers. A senior Labour Party MP has said that society could get along perfectly well without investment its bankers – but not without its cleaners.

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: “People need to realise that without the work of people in public services society would collapse. We could live without investment bankers but not hospital cleaners, teaching assistants and refuse collectors.”

Abbott, the first black woman to be elected to parliament, was speaking in support of Unison’s campaign, A Million Voices for Change.

07/09/09 Express by Holiday Inn, Portsmouth: The Express by Holiday Inn at Portsmouth has passed its fourth cleanliness quality audit in a row. The hotel, cleaned by Spotless UK since 2005 has not failed an Intercontinental Hotels quality audit since the specialist contract cleaner took over. Gabrielle Schenk of LRA Worldwide, who conducted the inspection on behalf on IHG said, “I am surprised at the cleanliness of the hotel particularly given that contract cleaners are used.” Spotless UK understands that many hotels subject to a similar inspection, cleaned by other contractors, are failing.

29/08/09 Wembley Stadium: Why is it that major cleaning firms are regularly allowed to get away with poor service in major venues? I attended the RFL Challenge Cup Final today and was amazed. I know there was 76,000 people there but is this an excuse for poor cleanliness? The toilets were an absolute disgrace throughout the whole of the game and there was few housekeeping attendants on view. The bar area had been cleaned using a ride on floor scrubber which had spread spilt beer from the previous game in a lovely pattern across the whole floor.

You could take the view that when servicing a venue of this size that it would never be clean but I think it is more likely that corners have been cut to such a degree that a high level of service is impossible to maintain.

29/08/09 Waterloo Station: So, travelling to and from the game I got to use the ‘pay per pee’ experience at the above station and got to thinking, “What is it that I am paying for?”

The toilet stank of urine and I had to dodge the puddles. The pan was evenly brown where it had not been brushed or cleaned with a chemical for some considerable time.(days/weeks?) The toilet attendant was clearly far too busy helping people, who have never seen this spectacle before, deposit their 30p in the turnstile rather than cleaning the place and providing the service that merits the charge. Oh well, there was soap in the washbasin receptacles. I suppose I should be grateful for that!