TRADING STANDARDS Service Overview Paul Noone Deputy Chief Trading Standards Officer

Key Officers Jim Potts Chief Trading Standards Officer Paul Noone Deputy Chief Trading Standards Officer Jane Miller Trading Standards Manager Commercial Standards David Scott Trading Standards Manager Development & Support Gerry Smallshaw Trading Standards Manager Fair Trading & Safety

Key Aspects of Service  Enforce 60 Acts of Parliament and over 200 sets of regulations  Wide variety of activities –Safety (Consumer products, age related sales, doorstep crime) –Fair Trading (counterfeit goods, pricing, trade descriptions) –Animal Health & Agriculture (Licensing, movement of animals, welfare, descriptions, animal feeding stuffs) –Food (Responsible Enforcement Service identified by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), labelling, quality, composition of food) –Metrology (accuracy of trade equipment, prevention of fraud, short weight of measure, verification & calibration facilities) –Petroleum & Explosives (Safe storage, licensing, petrol filling stations) –Civil Law Advice (Provision of advice to consumers & businesses)  Enforcement, advice and education all important  Focus on prevention as well as detection  Service has approximately 95 staff

Key Aspects of Service (2)  Contribute to number of key priorities including  Social & Health –Food standards; checks on quality of cheaper goods & compositional claims –Product Safety; safety of second hand goods like furniture & electrical items –Consumer Credit enforcement; tackling loans sharks & harassment of debtors –Protecting socially vulnerable; get rich quick scams & doorstep crime –Promoting the healthy eating agenda  Economic & Safety –Level playing field for businesses –Tackling consumer & business fraud –Protecting vulnerable consumers from unsafe products, scams, cons & get rich quick schemes –Tackling rogue traders  Environment –Legal storage of products such as fireworks, petroleum & explosives –Enforcing environmental legislation relating to packaging, energy efficiency –Controlling harmful animal diseases (rabies, BSE, anthrax) –Monitoring green claims re: content & performance

Key Aspects of Service (3)  Campaigning & tackling real issues including: - –Firework Nuisance and Safety –Alcohol related crime and anti-social behaviour –Pyramid selling and home-working schemes –Food labelling & nutrition e.g. GM foods, debased foods, allergy & dietary labelling –Cold Calling & doorstep crime –Leasehold reform

Key Partners  Central Government Agencies/Departments –Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) –Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) –Food Standards Agency (FSA) –Office of Fair Trading (OFT) –Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)  Local Partnerships –Consumer Support Network – 41 VCF Sector members –Community Legal Services Partnership – Quality Marked Service –Other LCC Services (e.g. County Analysts) –Made in Lancashire –Health & Safety Executive –Lancashire Business Agencies/bodies –Police –District Councils  Trading Standards North West (22 NW Authorities)

Cabinet Member Portfolio Holder CC Jean Battle (Cabinet Member Community Planning & Partnerships)

Main Policy Drivers  CPA  Local Area Agreement  National Performance Framework for Trading Standards  Corporate and Community Priorities  National & Regional Priorities  Central Government Objectives e.g. AMEC Campaign  Modernisation & Improvement Agendas (including Hampton Report)

Key Policy Documents  National Performance Framework for Trading Standards  Service Business Plan  Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Framework Agreement  Food Standards Agency Enforcement Plan  Local Area Agreement

Big Issues This Year  Local Area Agreement – working to achieve our targets  CPA  Modernisation agenda  Implications of Hampton Report  Service Restructuring  Health Agenda  Partnership Working (Local, Regional & National)  Aligning all Service activities to Corporate aims & objectives

Need To Know  Local Area Agreement stretch targets on alcohol & tobacco – shortfall in pump priming grant  Service Restructure - changes  Above upper quartile of all Trading Standards Services in UK for performance and planning  Have achieved upper threshold status on 4 of 5 CPA indicators and well above the minimum threshold on 5th  Have achieved/retained number of external accreditations –Investors In People –ISO 9001 –OHSAS –Community Legal Services Quality Mark –UKAS Accreditation  Peer Review Regime imminent – expect to do well!  Please contact us to discuss anything further or if you think we can play a part in any initiatives