Bromley road sweeper told by employer he cannot accept donations from fundraiser due to contractual obligations with council

A road sweeper from Beckenham has been told he cannot accept a £3,000 donation raised by the community which aimed to send him on holiday, due to his employer’s “contractual obligations” with Bromley Council.

The GoFundMe page, launched by local resident Lisa Knight, was set up in order to recognise the “hard work and dedication” of Paul Spiers, 63.

However, contractor Veolia – Mr Spiers’ employer - informed him that he could not accept the gift due to contractual obligations with Bromley Council.

Veolia said: “Our contract with Bromley Council does not permit our staff to accept any monies or incentives outside of agreed pay structures. We have agreed with Paul that we will match the amount raised as of Friday 9th August to be donated to a charity of his choice.”

It added that Spiers would be the recipient of “Bromley’s Employee of the Quarter” and would receive an internal financial reward to recognise his “exceptional services to the community”.

After the Bromley road sweeper was unable to accept the community’s donation, holiday provider ‘On the Beach’ announced that Spiers has won a £3,000 holiday in a competition launched by the company.

Posting details of its competition on X, the company said the terms and conditions were that applicants must "love Elvis Presley, be aged between 62 and 64, be loved by the local community, be a street cleaner in Beckenham and have the surname Spiers".

Contractor Veolia said: “We understand that Paul has won a competition and we can confirm that we have no objection to him accepting his win.”

Bromley Council has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson