23 Results Found
22/07/2024
“In a modern society, there is no place for modern slavery. We welcome the Government's initiative to target businesses employing illegal workers in car washes. However, it is disappointing that it has taken so long to address this well-documented issue.” said Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association (CWA).
13/06/2024
"Non-compliant hand car washes, that vastly outnumber legally operated sites, are blatantly disregarding employment laws, with minimal enforcement from the relevant authorities. When employment laws are ignored, people suffer. These hand car washes, many of which only accept payment in cash, are often a hotbed of modern slavery and other illegal activities, such as money laundering and tax evasion. The continued lack of action on this issue empowers these criminals and endangers lives." said Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association (CWA) in response to recent Home Office figures showing that hand car washes racked up almost £2.5m in civil penalties last year.
22/04/2024
"As the Thames Water saga drags on, the company is ignoring its responsibility to keep our environment clean,” said Gordon Balmer Executive Director of the Car Wash Association, commenting on the latest Thames Water’s latest issues.
26/02/2024
Data from the Illegal Immigration Unit at the Home Office showed that 78 hand car washes across the UK had been fined a total of nearly £1.5 million for ‘right to work’ offences in the first nine months of 2023. Brian Madderson, Chairman of the Car Wash Association (CWA), said: “It is disappointing that even in the face of blatant violations of the law, the Government is still unwilling to crack down on illegal hand car wash operators."
02/08/2023
Commenting on the newly released data from The Clewer Initiative's Safe Car Wash App, Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association (CWA) said: “I am deeply concerned to see the report highlighting the widespread exploitation taking place in hand car wash businesses, especially as a third of all reports submitted through the app raised significant concerns regarding modern slavery and exploitation. The shocking 127% increase in the number of high-scoring reports referred to the Modern Slavery Helpline (MSH) compared to the previous 6 months is alarming.
27/07/2023
"It is very positive to see the BBC taking on the crucial task of exposing modern slavery and creating awareness about this pressing issue. We are pleased that the material we provided contributed to their in-depth research. We remain available to provide guidance and insights on this urgent matter that we have been tirelessly working to bring to public attention,” said Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association (CWA)
13/07/2023
The Car Wash Association (CWA) welcomes the Government’s recent announcement of new legislation to tackle environment offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
29/06/2023
Commenting on the unfolding situation at Thames Water, Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association (CWA), said: “It is concerning to see that one of the UK’s largest water companies is experiencing financial difficulties on this scale. This, in conjunction with hosepipe bans being announced by other water companies, is a stark reminder of the importance of conserving water.
23/05/2023
Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association, said: "It is astonishing that non-compliant hand car washes remain unregulated and operating illegally in plain sight in 2023."
04/05/2023
Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Car Wash Association, said: “Modern slavery is often practised in broad daylight, with non-compliant hand car wash operators openly flouting employment and environmental regulations with total impunity.
