A street sweeper whose local authority raised more than £3,000 to pay for his holiday is now allowed to go on a free trip abroad, despite his employer forbidding him from accepting the funds.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Paul Spiers, 63, from Beckenham, south-east London, by his flatmate Lisa Knight, who said she met him when he first started working as a street sweeper in 2017.
Estate agent Knight set up the page on July 30 after Mr Spiers – who she said was “an integral part of our village of Beckenham” and “adored by all” – told her he had only travelled abroad once, to Portugal, and dreamed of going there again.
“Giving him this incredible gift would be a heartfelt way to show our appreciation for all he does,” she wrote on the fundraising page.
A total of £3,315 was raised, but Mr Spiers’ employer Veolia prevented him from accepting the funds, saying it would be a breach of his contract with Bromley Council.
They informed him and Ms Knight that the rules prohibited employees from accepting any cash gifts or incentives in excess of their regular salary.
“We are deeply disappointed that this decision will prevent Paul from enjoying this well-deserved holiday in recognition of his hard work for the community of Beckenham,” Ms Knight said in an update on the funding page earlier this week.
The decision outraged local residents and prompted Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge Liam Conlon to contact both Veolia and Bromley Council on Monday, urging them to “exert some common sense so Paul can enjoy the holiday he deserves”.
“Completely unspecific” competition changes the outcome
On Tuesday morning, online travel agent On the Beach swept into the market to boost Mr Spiers’ holiday hopes with its “totally non-specific £3,000 holiday to Portugal competition”.
The terms and conditions stated that the winner had to be between 62 and 64 years old, have the surname Spiers, work as a street cleaner in Beckenham and be “popular with the local community”.
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A Veolia spokesman told Sky News the company had “no objection” to Mr Spiers “winning” the competition.
“We are really grateful for the support and recognition the community has shown to Paul, who, along with a hard-working street cleaning team, does a fantastic job keeping the streets of Bromley clean,” they said.
“We always welcome messages from citizens who would like to honor our teams. Unfortunately, in this case, we were not informed of the fundraiser and therefore were unable to work together to find the best way to honor Paul.
“To our knowledge, Paul has won a competition and we can confirm that we have no objection to accepting his victory.
“Our position on funds raised from the community has not changed and the decision on what happens with that money rests with the fundraiser.
“Veolia has doubled the amount raised up to Friday 9 August and this will be donated to Cancer Research UK, a charity very close to Paul’s heart.
“We are delighted that Paul can travel to Portugal for a well-deserved holiday thanks to his competition win.”
In the latest update to the fundraising page, Ms Knight told donors that they would get their money back if Mr Spiers was unable to accept the funds and she has also disabled new donations.
Sky News has contacted Bromley Council for comment.
