Agenda item

Ellie Greenwood, Senior Advisor, introduced the report updating the Board on the LGA’s review of trading standards. The review was a short high level review which showed a clear commitment to trading standards’ role in local government but from which a number of key issues emerged.

The Board welcomed the report and made a number of comments reflecting:

·         the important role local trading standards services have in supporting the national trading standards service

·         the need for an increased emphasis in the report of local government’s control of trading standards as a local service

·         the potential for reviewing services and combining them to relate to current issues faced by local authorities

·         the LGA should be setting the agenda and challenging how to be more effective in this area, rather than appearing to respond to the professional agenda

·         the potential for commercialisation of the service including the possibility of a trading standards kite mark

·         recognition that trading standards issues cut across boundaries.

Action:

Officers to redraft and progress the next steps in line with Members’ comments.

Decision:

Members approved the report subject to some redrafting to reflect the comments above, and agreed the next steps identified.