Agenda item

To provide Members with information concerning the proposed 2024/25 work plan for Brent & Harrow Trading Standards.   

Anu Prashar (Senior Regulatory Service Manager, Brent Council) presented a report detailing the proposed 2024/25 work plan for Brent & Harrow Trading Standards.

In considering the report the Board noted:

·            The work plan aimed to set out priority areas for the coming year and provide a guide to the expected levels of performance for each of the boroughs’ teams whilst also offering flexibility to assist in meeting unexpected demands and to adapt service delivery as required, to meet emerging threats or respond to major investigations or assist our Primary Authority businesses on complex and legal matters.

·            The assumptions on which the work plan had been set, as set out within the Work Plan attached as Appendix 1 to the report.  The Plan had also ben designed to incorporate priority areas of work identified by the National Trading Standards Board and London Trading Standards as well as reflect the key corporate priorities within each borough’s Corporate Plan.

·            The High Priority areas of work identified within the Plan for 2024-24, which included illicit tobacco and vape products and underage sales.

·            The ongoing focus within the Plan on activities in relation to the cost of living and consumer complaints, such as testing weighing scales, price comparisons and promotions to make sure that consumers were not being misled.

·            The medium and lower term priorities outlined within the Plan for 2024-25 along with work volumes across the service, which were subject to continual review to ensure priorities were being implemented effectively.

The following issues were then raised by Members of the Board in response to the update provided:

·              Clarification was sought regarding the National Trading Standards Board’s priority regarding animal feed and how relevant that was to the service.  Anu Prashar explained that this work was focussed around the avoidance of contamination with regular site visits undertaken to ensure animal feed was not contaminated.  The Service checked that the right controls and procedures were in place similar to HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) used in food safety to ensure little to no contamination.  These included visits to supermarkets as well as farms to monitor the quality of the animal food supply chain.

·              Clarification was sought on whether pet food was also considered by the Service.  Anu Prashar said that pet food was the end product of animal feed and analysing pet food may be the second stage of the project including taking samples of pet foods and ensuring that the statutory declaration was adhering to labels.

·            Further details were sought on whether consideration was given to harm when identifying priorities within the Plan and how these were agreed between the joint boroughs.  It was clarified that consideration was given to harm as well as national and local priorities.  The vulnerabilities of residents were considered as well as signposting to partners like the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.  Criminal breaches were rated and if the criminal breach was of low value that it would be signposted whereas a criminal breach of high value would be investigated, but each case was bespoke with further work being undertaken to consider how best to capture harm and reflect this within the priorities and monitoring of the work plan.  The priorities were also subject to regular and ongoing discussion between lead officers within each authority.

·            Members remained keen to ensure that the monitoring of specific trends in terms of service activity continued as a means of assisting to focus priorities, with comparisons provided between the current and previous year in terms of work volume.

·            Members welcomed the support being provided by the Trading Standards teams across each borough in terms of advice and guidance and as part of ward visits.  Details were also provided in relation to the Friends Against Scams awareness raising training which had recently been provided for members in Brent and it was felt would also be beneficial for Harrow Councillors to attend, which officers agreed to progress.

In welcoming the update and supporting the positive work being undertaken by Trading Standards, the Chair thanked Anu Prashar for her report and having commended officer for their efforts it was RESOLVED to endorse and note the update and Trading Standards Work Plan 2024-25.