Westminster City Council and Veolia won Team of the Year at this year’s Keep Britain Tidy Awards hosted at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool. This comes after an unprecedented year for the team with the eyes of the world on The City of Westminster during the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The City of Westminster is used to global attention, with over 30 million tourists visiting every year for its many tourist attractions and national events. In 2022 alone, Veolia Westminster walked in the Pride Parade for the first time, Notting Hill Carnival returned welcoming well over 1 million tourists to the streets and 250,000 visitors came to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
During the twelve days of national mourning, 150 operatives kept the streets spotlessly clean so visitors from near and far could pay their respects with flowers, marmalade sandwiches and condolences. By 5pm on the day of the state funeral, over 80 tonnes of sand laid down by Veolia’s team for the processions had been cleared and the streets were swept clean. None of this would be possible without the strong partnership that has been built between Veolia and Westminster Council.
It is this behind the scenes work that often goes unnoticed. The Veolia Westminster teams work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year come rain or shine, through Storm Eunice to record-breaking heatwaves.
The Keep Britain Tidy Team of the Year Award offers the unique opportunity to acknowledge all this hard work and celebrate the dedicated teams that keep the city running.
Helder Branco, Veolia Westminster General Manager:
“The world was watching London last September and Veolia had a huge responsibility to make sure the City was looking and operating at its best at all times. I am so incredibly proud of our team who went above and beyond to step up to the challenge and I am so grateful for our close working partnership with Westminster City Council that is recognised through this award.
Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality at Westminster City Council:
“Keeping the city clean and tidy while hundreds of thousands of visitors paid their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was an absolutely huge operation for both our Waste & Cleansing team and Veolia. The council’s cleaning teams worked around the clock to prepare for the Queen’s funeral and to get the city back on track once the funeral procession had ended.
“I want to say a huge thank you to our excellent street cleaning teams for all their hard work and congratulate them for winning this well-deserved award. When the eyes of the world were on Westminster, they truly did Her Majesty and the country proud.”
