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profile Improving lives, improving communities

It’s fair to say that Sam Leigh has been busy. She’s the managing director of Lampton Community Services (LCS), a diverse organisation that’s helping to improve the environment and the lives of people in the borough of Hounslow.

We’re looking to take more work in-house so we can create jobs, and we’re seeking to further strengthen our relationships with local businesses. LCS is a member of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, which is very well connected in the business community. That will be a major help to us

Wholly owned by London Borough of Hounslow, LCS is made up of three distinct businesses. GreenSpace 360 provides an efficient parks and open space maintenance service, and Recycle 360 offers quality recycling and waste collection services. Meanwhile, new Chamber members Coalo is effectively the facilities management arm of the council. It carries out ground maintenance work and a wide range of repair work to maintain the local housing stock.

With 750 staff, LCS is a major employer in the area and Sam has her hands full trying to grow the business, innovate and continuously improve services to benefit the local community.

She says: “We try to put the customer at the heart of everything we do. We strive to achieve high service standards every time and look to do things that have a positive social or environmental impact. If we can get this right, more people will come to live and work here and we can create more value for communities and the local economy. ”

Sam has been making her presence felt within local communities since she came into her current role six months ago. A dynamic, visionary business leader with extensive experience across private, public and not-for-profit sectors, she has spent many years in the social housing sector and has a passion and commitment towards service excellence, community development and social inclusion. She’s also someone who thrives in environments of change and innovation and has led on the successful delivery of several large-scale award winning transformation programmes that have delivered outstanding results.

A commercial leader with a wide range of business skills within her portfolio, Sam has led international multi-site operations and is someone who inspires engaged and empowered teams to deliver exceptional performance and business growth. She’s recognised for building cultures that embrace diversity and creates business strategies that deliver step change and positive cultural shift – ideal qualities that she brings to her current role.

The challenge now for Sam and LCS is to adapt in the face of great change.

She says: “The COVID pandemic has forced us all to change the way we do things, such as working from home more and communicating with colleagues via Zoom. We’ve had virtual quiz nights and made sure we’ve kept in touch with staff who’ve had to work remotely. “Our frontline staff have kept going during the pandemic to maintain the housing stock so we’ve invested in PPE and other welfare facilities to ensure they’ve been supported throughout.

“Going forward, there are a number of exciting opportunities for us to expand. We want to look at our vehicle fleet to see how we could reduce carbon emissions. Hydrogen is embryonic but is likely to play a significant role in the future.

“We’re looking to take more work in-house so we can create jobs, and we’re seeking to further strengthen our relationships with local businesses. LCS is a member of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, which is very well connected in the business community. That will be a major help to us.

“When we do need to subcontract work out, I think it’s important for us to direct this work to local businesses wherever possible. Many of them have been adversely affected by the pandemic so it’s vital that we do our bit to support the local economy.

“Our main aim is to continue delivering excellent services that have a positive impact on both the environment and our communities but to grow our business further an create even more jobs for local people.”

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