Licensing bid to flush out unlawful hand car washing

Proposals that could pave the way for a national licensing scheme for hand car washes are set to be published later this year — as the government pledges a crackdown on unlawful business activity and unlawful working in the sector, Aftermarket learned today.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said yesterday that car washes and nail bars would be among businesses targeted by immigration officers over the summer.

Prof Ian Clark — who is leading the Work Informalisation & Place Research Group at Nottingham Trent University in preparing the car wash licensing scheme study — told Aftermarket today he welcomed fresh impetus for the work.

Clark, a work and employment specialist, said car washes and nail bars are the two “premier sectors” at risk of unlawful working practices and potential links to criminal activities.

He said his team are working with the Car Wash Association (CWA) and Petrol Retailers Association as a “critical friend”.

Both associations have used the team’s research in submissions to ministers. Work on the proposed licensing scheme was paused when the general election was called but has now resumed.

‘Disappointing’

CWA executive director Gordon Balmer said today: “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.

“The CWA has long been deeply concerned about the persistent presence of non-compliant hand car washes operating illegally and disregarding health and safety standards.”

Balmer said the CWA had long lobbied previous ministers over the issue but had been “largely ignored”.

“We were early supporters and funders of the Responsible Car Wash Scheme, which submitted a comprehensive report to the Home Office in September 2022. Unfortunately, the report did not receive the attention it deserved.”

Yvette Cooper said in an article in The Sun on Sunday that 1,000 civil servants had been redeployed from working on the former government’s now-abandoned Rwanda scheme to staffing a new ‘returns and enforcement programme’.

She said the new programme is intended to “increase returns of those with no right to be here and to make sure rules are respected and enforced”.