Is the city council arguing about cleaning our schools in Leipzig?

Is the city council arguing about cleaning our schools in Leipzig?

On June 29, 2025, the Leipzig city council met to discuss an important proposal from the left-wing faction. The proposal calls for the establishment of an in-house company to clean schools and daycare centers. The aim is to improve the quality of cleaning work and at the same time reduce user complaints. As the L-IZ reported, the application was already discussed in the council meeting on June 25, 2025.

During the discussion, the CDU city councilors expressed concerns about the effectiveness and financial burden of such an in-house operation. This skepticism is primarily based on the fact that the cleaners would have to be paid according to the public service tariff, which could result in significantly higher costs. The cleaning services are currently awarded through public tenders in which many local companies, including the Tenders Germany informed. The prevailing tenders offer a solid basis for making services transparent and competitive.

Unlocking resources

Another topic of discussion was changing the tender conditions. In particular, a shortened contract period of two years was considered, although this could result in a greater burden on administration. Currently, only two staff positions are responsible for checking cleaning quality for a considerable number of 170 schools and 52 daycare centers. That's why there are loud voices saying that a purely in-house operation would be very ambitious organizationally and economically German tender sheet supplemented.

A hybrid model that combines in-house areas with external capabilities could be considered as a sensible compromise. During the discussion, Karsten Albrecht from the CDU suggested extending the review period for the implementation of in-house operations until June 2026 in order to be able to carefully weigh up all aspects. The School Office, however, warned of the expected high workload and the potentially higher costs that would be associated with setting up your own business.

Looking into the future

The left-wing faction's application was initially accepted as a review order, with a deadline of March 2026 to carry out the necessary reviews. The vote on the administrative position was clear with 58 votes to 1 with two abstentions.

An early result of the audit is expected in spring 2026 and could be groundbreaking for the future design of cleaning services in Leipzig. The challenges are clear and a solution that is both effective and cost-efficient will be the focus in the coming months.