I was interested yesterday to see Vince Cable announce the first 25 LEPS, Local Enterprise Partnerships. I shall be curious to see how many more follow and whether the loss of the RDAs, Regional Development Agencies, proves to be significant to the economic wellbeing of different regions in England.
Regionalism and localism are not easy bedfellows and that is not always of help to local trading standards services who need to always have a framework to combine talent, effort and capacity to maximise impact in favour of consumers, good business, local and yes regional economies. The government funding available to support LEPS looks to be about a third of that which had rested with the RDAs. Only time will tell whether this suffices.
At the moment there are vast gaps in the spread of LEPS and areas and regions like Lancashire and the South West will have no enterprise body to bid for central funds until, and if, they establish LEPS. Critics have labelled LEPS as a fragmented network of toothless talking shops. Let us hope they are wrong.
The Local Growth White Paper, launched this week by Nick Clegg, pins hopes on councils being better enterprise supporters and catalysts. It also recognises the key role of well maintained trading standards for that purpose. Bottom up regionalism built on the new found localism will be essential to trading standards services performing as Mr Clegg wants. LEPS and political preferences should not get in the way of operational and strategic pragmatism.
Friday 29 October 2010
Funding for trading standards
This is always a big issue for a small service especially when delivered by cash strapped councils who have now been told by the Chancellor that they can expect 27% less Government funding over the next 4 years.
The norm seems to be that trading standards services across the country are being told to find savings of 25%-40% which looks like the normal salami slicing approach towards council services that don't enjoy the funding protection of ring fenced money. So it was encouraging to meet with BIS, Business, Innovation and Skills, officials yesterday to further understand how the BIS 'consumer landscape' proposals might translate into funding support for reinforcing the trading standards role that Vince Cable has attached such weight to.
BIS will look to transfer current, and perhaps new funds currently held centrally, to local government to support the essential national enforcement role of trading standards in areas like illegal money lending, scams and fraud, intel, e-commerce, regional and national coordination and more.
These funds currently expire in 2011 but I could see yesterday how resolved BIS is to sustain that funding for at least the four years after that. That will send a strong message to local authorities and we shall want to ensure they look to reinforce their trading standards capability, not salami slice and disable it.
The norm seems to be that trading standards services across the country are being told to find savings of 25%-40% which looks like the normal salami slicing approach towards council services that don't enjoy the funding protection of ring fenced money. So it was encouraging to meet with BIS, Business, Innovation and Skills, officials yesterday to further understand how the BIS 'consumer landscape' proposals might translate into funding support for reinforcing the trading standards role that Vince Cable has attached such weight to.
BIS will look to transfer current, and perhaps new funds currently held centrally, to local government to support the essential national enforcement role of trading standards in areas like illegal money lending, scams and fraud, intel, e-commerce, regional and national coordination and more.
These funds currently expire in 2011 but I could see yesterday how resolved BIS is to sustain that funding for at least the four years after that. That will send a strong message to local authorities and we shall want to ensure they look to reinforce their trading standards capability, not salami slice and disable it.
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Business and the consumer landscape
TSI has a very good relationship with the business community and its representative organisations. This mirrors the trading standards ethic of being a shared champion of business and consumers. Our TSI Annual Conference and Exhibition (in 2011 at the Bournemouth International Centre 21-23 June) is a high impact affair and any visitor would immediately see the support it and we enjoy from the broad spectrum of the private enterprise sector together with those in the public and third sectors.
This Government has staked the country's economic and employment prospects on business and it is important that the sector plays its fullest part in how we progress and implement the BIS plans for the new consumer landscape including driving new levels of consumer empowerment via advice, information, education and ensuring competition flourishes and rogues are eliminated from local and national markets. Trading standards is central to all this and business will be as concerned as consumers to see that local trading standards services are not themselves dis empowered by cuts by councils to their already stretched budgets.
So yesterday I started to widen my discussions with business on the importance of it being the third pillar in the new consumer landscape being scoped by Vince Cable and his BIS team. Trading standards and Citizens Advice may be the two pillars he has so far spotlighted but business has to be embraced as the third if the new model is to work. I am sure that business will be up for the challenge and in the week that saw both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader at a CBI Conference it is worth reiterating the Prime Minister's and the Chancellor's clarion call that 'we are all in this together'.
This Government has staked the country's economic and employment prospects on business and it is important that the sector plays its fullest part in how we progress and implement the BIS plans for the new consumer landscape including driving new levels of consumer empowerment via advice, information, education and ensuring competition flourishes and rogues are eliminated from local and national markets. Trading standards is central to all this and business will be as concerned as consumers to see that local trading standards services are not themselves dis empowered by cuts by councils to their already stretched budgets.
So yesterday I started to widen my discussions with business on the importance of it being the third pillar in the new consumer landscape being scoped by Vince Cable and his BIS team. Trading standards and Citizens Advice may be the two pillars he has so far spotlighted but business has to be embraced as the third if the new model is to work. I am sure that business will be up for the challenge and in the week that saw both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader at a CBI Conference it is worth reiterating the Prime Minister's and the Chancellor's clarion call that 'we are all in this together'.
Monday 25 October 2010
Building the new consumer landscape begins......
When Vince Cable issued his BIS consumer landscape review statement earlier this month he made it very clear that the future was to be built on the twin pillars of Citizens Advice and Trading Standards.
TSI and its members delivering trading standards across the local government spectrum have always had a strong and productive relationship with Citizens Advice and with the nearly 400 CABx spread across England and Wales. Similarly with Citizens Advice Scotland and its member CABx.
Following the Secretary of State's announcement however, that relationship must reach new levels of collaboration and productivity. We must seek to ensure the transfer of the Consumer Direct GB helpline to Citizens Advice serves to be even more supportive of consumers, and trading standards services and the business community. They have a reliance on its information and data in the improvement of business behaviour towards consumers and the enforcement of consumer and other criminal law against the rogue element.
Today I met with the CEO of Citizens Advice and together we have begun to create the foundations of the new consumer landscape with our two organisations at its heart. We shall need to embrace many others, including local government, the private sector and our colleagues in the devolved nations. We are confident of meeting the challenge set by the coalition Government but we shall need its wholehearted support. There is little time to waste.
TSI and its members delivering trading standards across the local government spectrum have always had a strong and productive relationship with Citizens Advice and with the nearly 400 CABx spread across England and Wales. Similarly with Citizens Advice Scotland and its member CABx.
Following the Secretary of State's announcement however, that relationship must reach new levels of collaboration and productivity. We must seek to ensure the transfer of the Consumer Direct GB helpline to Citizens Advice serves to be even more supportive of consumers, and trading standards services and the business community. They have a reliance on its information and data in the improvement of business behaviour towards consumers and the enforcement of consumer and other criminal law against the rogue element.
Today I met with the CEO of Citizens Advice and together we have begun to create the foundations of the new consumer landscape with our two organisations at its heart. We shall need to embrace many others, including local government, the private sector and our colleagues in the devolved nations. We are confident of meeting the challenge set by the coalition Government but we shall need its wholehearted support. There is little time to waste.
Friday 22 October 2010
Local Government Funding takes a real hit
Local government has suffered a real body blow in losing 27% of its central funding over the next 4 years. Quite how such savage cuts can hope to give councils a fighting chance of using their new found localism opportunity is at the moment beyond me. Shifting service, operational and funding roles and responsibilities away from the state i.e. Government to town halls would be a challenge at any time but to do so and in parallel take away substantive funds is an unenviable one.
Small but essential front line services like Trading Standards are incredibly vulnerable regardless of any urgings from BIS or other parts of Government to councils to support them. When the Leader of the Local Government Group talks of the loss of 'dedicated professionals' as part of the 1 in 10 council jobs to go over these next four years we have to be concerned at the prospective loss of Trading Standards professionals so critical to supporting businesses, consumers and communities at this time of need.
Local authorities have to find different ways of delivering services and we are seeing some respond already by merging operations, outsourcing and similar. We must help them to make the right decisions for Trading Standards and the citizens that rely on them.
Small but essential front line services like Trading Standards are incredibly vulnerable regardless of any urgings from BIS or other parts of Government to councils to support them. When the Leader of the Local Government Group talks of the loss of 'dedicated professionals' as part of the 1 in 10 council jobs to go over these next four years we have to be concerned at the prospective loss of Trading Standards professionals so critical to supporting businesses, consumers and communities at this time of need.
Local authorities have to find different ways of delivering services and we are seeing some respond already by merging operations, outsourcing and similar. We must help them to make the right decisions for Trading Standards and the citizens that rely on them.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Consumer landscape announcements
We welcome continuity of the limited funding to be cascaded to local government for national threats. Clearly a trading standards that is adequately and appropriately funded can step up to the plate to deliver its new found responsibility. At the same time, however, the capability and impact of local trading standards services and practitioners is going to be dependent upon councils adequately funding them. No easy task for councils regardless of the leap of faith shown by the Secretary of State.
The Institute is a long-standing but progressive organisation that seeks to support modern local government together with consumers and businesses. Our members are spread across the public and private sectors which positions us well to understand the demands on both.
Modern high street and internet driven markets need confident, informed consumers if they are to work well and if rogues are not to flourish. Trading standards is central to recovering and ultimately flourishing local, national and indeed web based global market place. Similarly to the economic and safe wellbeing of consumers. This is no time to do other than reinforce the capacity and capability of trading standards and both central and local government in our view must continue to work well together to ensure that happens.
We now must look to work even better with our colleagues in Citizens Advice, with councils and with those representing our key business and consumer interests to test the Secretary of State’s proposals, use the planned consultation exercise, and ensure what emerges works.
The Institute is a long-standing but progressive organisation that seeks to support modern local government together with consumers and businesses. Our members are spread across the public and private sectors which positions us well to understand the demands on both.
Modern high street and internet driven markets need confident, informed consumers if they are to work well and if rogues are not to flourish. Trading standards is central to recovering and ultimately flourishing local, national and indeed web based global market place. Similarly to the economic and safe wellbeing of consumers. This is no time to do other than reinforce the capacity and capability of trading standards and both central and local government in our view must continue to work well together to ensure that happens.
We now must look to work even better with our colleagues in Citizens Advice, with councils and with those representing our key business and consumer interests to test the Secretary of State’s proposals, use the planned consultation exercise, and ensure what emerges works.
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