Council trading standards services have long played an important role in protecting the economic well-being of the local community. Starting as Weights and Measures Departments employing Inspectors to check equipment and goods in shops and markets the role of trading standards has been transformed out of all recognition to become an important and integral part of modern local government. Trading standards services now have a huge remit from:
- food standards to fair trading and fraud;
- illegal money lending to counterfeiting and piracy;
- farm animal health controls to under age sales;
- and a lot more besides, including the recovery of assets from criminals who have gained financially from their criminal activities.
This enables them to influence and contribute to a wide range of local priorities including the economy, the environment and the building of safer communities. Consequently council trading standards services have developed an innovative approach to delivering a range of functions that includes hundreds of pieces of legislation.
The most significant development of recent times has been the strengthening of regional/national support mechanisms and the emergence of nationally co-ordinated services such as Illegal Money Lending Enforcement Units and Scambusters Teams. Trading Standards have driven service improvements through coordination of inspections, audits and sampling and by acting as a forum to share expertise and avoid duplication of effort. They have also provided services on behalf of their local councils including training, standardised guidance notes and delivery of Consumer Direct (a telephone and online consumer information service). All of this has allowed trading standards to remain a key local service able to interact with every part of the community whilst dealing with regional, national and international priorities.
For more information contact: Simon Wilkinson