Modern slavery statement
MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 30th June 2023
Park Garage Group Plc
Introduction
This statement sets out Park Garage Group Plc (PGG Plc) actions to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to its business and toput in place steps that are aimed at ensuring that there is no slavery or human trafficking in its own business and its supply chains. This statement relatesto actions and activities during the financial year 1st July 2022 to 30th June 2023 but has been the company’s ethical stance in previous years as well.
Park Garage Group is absolutely committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its corporate activities, and to ensuring that its supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking.
Our Business
Park Garage Group is a family run business operating in the retailpetrol station forecourt sector whose success and ethos is driven by being customer-centric. We pride ourselves in working closely with some of the UK’s leading supplier partners which helps us achieve and provide the best possible service to our customers. As members of the PRA (Petrol Retailers Association) we ensure that we are engaged and active within the industry.
Business activities include the sale of fuel, provision of excellent cash wash and valet facilities and retail shop sales. The company currently operates in the following countries: England and Wales. These countries are not considered high risk in relation to slavery or human trafficking.
Park Garage Group ensures all policies and processes carried out in therunning of the company are in a legally compliant and ethical manner. All policies are reviewed and approved by the company’s Managing Director. All policies are reviewed regularly and amended in accordance with new legislative requirements or changes within the business and quarterly compliance checks are undertaken by Area Managers when visiting their sites.
Our Policy on Slavery and Human Trafficking
We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all ourbusiness dealings and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere inour business or in any of our supply chains.
Our Anti-Slavery Policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing andenforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in our supply chains.
Park Garage Group operates several different policies that describe itsapproach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations. These include:
- Recruitment Procedure
We operate a recruitment process that includes a full background check including the eligibility to work in the UK, proof of residency and references for all new employees. Park Garage only uses reputable employment agencies to source labour and always verifies the practices of any new agency it is using before accepting workers from that agency. By nature of the sector, a number of potential new employees come ‘by word of mouth’ but each position is fully marketed and to ensure the best and right candidates are selected on merit for the company.
- Employee code of conduct
Park Garage Group’s code makes clear to employees the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the company. The company strives to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct.
- Whistleblowing policy
Whistle blowing is encouraged to all employees and commission operators to report any concerns related to the direct activities, or the supply chains of, the company. This includes any circumstances that may give rise to an enhanced risk of slavery or human trafficking. The company’s whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for employees to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation.
- Commission Operators
Rigorous checks are done on applications to become commission operatorsat Park Garage forecourts, these include eligibility to work in the UK documentation, proof of address and completion of a third-party criminal andcredit check. This is inline with the recruitment procedure.
- Audits
Area Managers for Park Garage Group conduct monthly checks to ensurethat employment practices of our Commission Operators are in line with the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016. Whilst also checking to ensure Commission Operators are eligible to work in the UK, where any status changes the Commission Operator Agreement is terminated.
- Risk assessments
Annually a risk assessment is conducted to reviewing business activitiesto understand if there are any potential risks where Modern Slavery could occur. Following the risk assessment Park Garage has concluded that there are no known activities where occurrences of modern slavery have been identified,we and our supply chain are both at low risk of having modern slavery occur. The highest place of risk to our business regarding modern slavery is the use of Commission Operators and their direct labour. Our Commission Operator Agreement emphasises the importance of ethical employment activities.
- Due diligence
To ensure compliance with the numerous legislative requirements linked to employee’s right to work in the UK, we carry out regular screening of ouremployees both during the recruitment process and periodically thereafter. If there are any suspected instances of Slavery and Human Trafficking, this would be immediately investigated by the Head of Human Resources and findings provided to the Managing Director so appropriate action can be taken.
Performance
PGG Plc considers that the below to be reasonable indicators thatslavery and / or human trafficking is not taking place within our business ifno reports from either law enforcement agencies, employees, commission operators and their staff, or the public to indicate slaver or human trafficking practices have been identified in relation to our supplier, trading partners and our business.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year beginning 01 July 2023 and ending on 30 June 2023.
