Agenda and minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley, HA9 9HD. View directions
Contact: Lisa Weaver, Democratic Services Officer 0208 937 1358 Email: lisa.weaver@brent.gov.uk
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Election of the Chair Minutes: RESOLVED:-
That Councillor Jones be appointed as Chair fir the duration of the meeting |
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Declarations of personal and prejudicial interests Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant financial or other interest in the items on this agenda. Minutes: None declared. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 78 KB Minutes: RESOLVED:-
that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 March 2012 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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Matters arising Minutes: Members noted that a meeting of the Committee had not been held since March 2012 due to the Olympics and omissions from the Harrow calendar. It was requested that officers liaise with each Council to ensure all meetings are placed in the calendar. |
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Trading standards budget for 2013/14 PDF 86 KB This report provides Members with the latest information concerning the Trading Standards budget for 2013-14, together with the implications on service delivery. Minutes: Bill Bilon, Head of Trading Standards, introduced the report on the 2013/14 Trading Standards budget, highlighting the reducing budget over the past five years and the implications this had caused, such as increased health and safety issues, increased anti-social behaviour and increased scams in the area. The Trading Standards Officer continued to highlight the work that was no longer able to be undertaken due to cuts, including doorstep crime initiatives, proactive investigations into car traders and one day sales. The Service had provided £50,000 income for each Council from the Proceeds of Crime incentivisation money with Harrow Council hoping to receive £75,000 in 2013/14 along with a reduction of £140,000 from their base budget. It was highlighted that the income generated could not be predicted, with larger sums only achieved by undertaking larger investigations. It was explained that Planning enforcement cases were a good source of potential income if both authorities could encourage planning investigations and prosecutions although, it was clarified that Harrow had reduced their planning enforcement team to two officers, making the income forecast unachievable.
During discussions the impact of not undertaking underage alcohol sales work was queried despite money being generated from investigation works. It was explained that this work was still being carried out but at a reduced level with work being prioritised to ensure income was achieved through higher level investigatory works. It was clarified that cases were needed to allow the financial investigator to carry out investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Bill Bilon informed the Board that the Service prided itself on being one of the best in the country as evidenced by the Accredited Financial Investigator recently winning the national individual award for Excellence in Financial Investigations. Members discussed the implications of the reduction of Planning enforcement officers, potentially leading to a lack of case, lack of income and the possibility of planning applications not being submitted due to the overall lack of enforcement. Harrow Council Members informed the Board that they were currently undergoing a restructure and felt that it would be appropriate to make a business case to retain and increase the current Planning enforcement team as a means to increasing income and to protect the future of Trading Standards. Officers appreciated the support of the Harrow Members and felt that discussions should be taking place by the summer to find a suitable direction to ensure the future of the Service.
It was clarified that the Brent and Harrow teams each received over 800 complaints per year which were investigated according to priority and, whenever possible, a joined up enforcement approach was undertaken with other partner organisations. Members felt alternative funding streams should be explored such as underage sales work being funded by Public Health England with a view to reducing health issues and pressure on the Health Service. It was explained that where alternative funding options were available, these were always explored and contributions had been received in the past for specific projects from the Tobacco Control Alliance. ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Trading standards work plan for 2013/14 PDF 42 KB This report provides Members with information concerning the Trading Standards work plan for 2013-14. Additional documents: Minutes: Bill Bilon, Head of Trading Standards, introduced the report which detailed the work that was proposed to be undertaken in 2013/14. During discussions Members noted the importance of planning and setting targets but queried whether there was adequate staffing resource to complete the work planned. It was clarified that the report was realistic with what was achievable, enabling work to be undertaken with what staffing resources were available. Following queries it was explained that each unit represented approximately an hour, with a particular number of units assigned to each task enabling the officers to manage their time effectively. It was further clarified that the team was performance managed with the plan being used to discuss workloads and future work during appraisals. Members queried the effect of the risk rating scheme. It was explained that the scheme was currently in its infancy, due to come into effect from the summer and therefore had not yet affected the plan for the current year. It was explained that the scheme was activity based rather than premises based and would now include web based activities which would change the direction to focus much more on e-commerce and e-crime. Following queries regarding Enterprise Act complaints, it was clarified that this was not a criminal matter and therefore the team did not need to undertake this work. However, this legislation allowed civil injunctions to be taken out if significant consumer detriment occurred to prevent further damage and to stop the business from trading in a manner that affected the economic wellbeing of consumers.
RESOLVED:-
Members noted the report
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Date of next meeting The next scheduled meeting of the Trading Standards Joint Advisory Board will be held at Harrow Civic Centre (date tbc). Minutes: The date of the next meeting was to be confirmed following approval at the Councils’ Annual Full Council meeting. |
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Any other urgent business Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Democratic Services Manager (London Borough of Brent) or his representative before the meeting in accordance with the constitutions of both councils. Minutes: None. |