We really are in a fight for survival.
I'm seeing local councils imposing cuts of 40 and 50% on their trading standards service budgets. Most of those services are too small anyway and to have to absorb that sort of hit will prove injurious at best and fatal at worst.
Yesterday BBC Breakfast did a short expose of the work and risk TS faces. Trading standards is a real force for the good. I think the BBC understands that. Most of its viewers will. I'm not sure though if the Local Government Minister Bob Neill MP does.
For the purposes of the BBC programme he gave a statement "Every bit of the public sector needs to do its bit to help pay off the massive budget deficit. Government has been living a credit card lifestyle and its time to pay off the bills. Town hall trading standards should focus their finite resources where public welfare is most at risk. This means tackling the like of cowboy builders and shops which peddle alcohol to children, but not wasting time on prosecuting greengrocers for using imperial scales."
Either the minister knows too little of the work and impact of trading standards or he just sees it as fair game for a political shot. Believe me minister if you did take the trouble to experience just a day with my trading standards colleagues you would see the intelligence driven and courageous way in which they tackle fraud, crime, scams, illegal sales of alcohol, tobacco, knives and more to the young and never give a thought to greengrocers selling in imperial or metric.
You should be applauding trading standards and helping it sustain its help to consumers and businesses in need, not looking to throw a poorly informed brick at it when it needs your support most. After all, your coalition government colleague Vince Cable MP has just recently stated the value he at least attaches to front line trading standards. Perhaps you don't agree?
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Friday 17 December 2010
Christmas Spirit??
Christmas really started for me yesterday evening when I attended the Carol Concert for the National Hospital Development Foundation, NHDF, at St. George's Church, Queen Square, London.
It was a beautiful scene with snow falling which certainly put me in the mood. The NHDF is the fund raising charity for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and I have looked to support it because of the debt I owe the hospital as a patient and have raised funds over several years.
I was really pleased because the NHDF asked me to do a reading at the concert. Although I'm used to public speaking this was different and especially as the other readers were professional and well known actors. Nonetheless I caught my breath and read 'A Small Dry Voice' from 'Memories of Christmas' by Dylan Thomas. It was great fun and if you haven't read it yourself then I can recommend it as a starter for this festive season.
Then back to the harsh world of today and in my trading standards capacity I have been reminded of the crooks, scoundrels and cheats who use Christmas to fleece, scam and rob the vulnerable.
Loan sharks preying on those they know can't afford to buy presents for their loved ones. Counterfeiters passing off fakes as the real thing to unwary consumers. So at the festive time of year spare a thought for those that know nothing of the Christmas spirit and look only to crooked gain at the expense of others. Work with trading standards to stop them.
It was a beautiful scene with snow falling which certainly put me in the mood. The NHDF is the fund raising charity for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and I have looked to support it because of the debt I owe the hospital as a patient and have raised funds over several years.
I was really pleased because the NHDF asked me to do a reading at the concert. Although I'm used to public speaking this was different and especially as the other readers were professional and well known actors. Nonetheless I caught my breath and read 'A Small Dry Voice' from 'Memories of Christmas' by Dylan Thomas. It was great fun and if you haven't read it yourself then I can recommend it as a starter for this festive season.
Then back to the harsh world of today and in my trading standards capacity I have been reminded of the crooks, scoundrels and cheats who use Christmas to fleece, scam and rob the vulnerable.
Loan sharks preying on those they know can't afford to buy presents for their loved ones. Counterfeiters passing off fakes as the real thing to unwary consumers. So at the festive time of year spare a thought for those that know nothing of the Christmas spirit and look only to crooked gain at the expense of others. Work with trading standards to stop them.
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Public Health Officers return to town halls
Public health officers are set to return to the town hall across England in what ministers are describing as the biggest shift in power in 40 years. Amazing. The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said in his White Paper 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People' that councils will be tasked with improving public health and fighting obesity, alcohol, drugs, smoking and more. Ring fenced funding of £4bn may follow.
This is all very timely given the news this morning that a third of those living in the west midlands are obese. That is frightening and I really hope that councils have the appetite for their new public health role and digest it well. They should look seriously to their trading standards and environmental health practitioners to play a major part as their Public Health Officers.
Another reason not to slash and burn their budgets and to invest in their capability and future.
Let's hope they can and will use some of that ring fenced money to do so. I can see us knocking on the doors of the new Directors of Public Health. Let's hope they are open doors.
This is all very timely given the news this morning that a third of those living in the west midlands are obese. That is frightening and I really hope that councils have the appetite for their new public health role and digest it well. They should look seriously to their trading standards and environmental health practitioners to play a major part as their Public Health Officers.
Another reason not to slash and burn their budgets and to invest in their capability and future.
Let's hope they can and will use some of that ring fenced money to do so. I can see us knocking on the doors of the new Directors of Public Health. Let's hope they are open doors.
Job losses too big to handle
Why does it feel like we are losing more than we are gaining? Probably because it is true. I've just finished my monthly task of writing my column for our TS Today magazine. I am usually inspired at the prospect (seriously!) but this time I was composing my thoughts on the back of the massive funding cuts to the grants to local councils announced by the Government yesterday. The Local Government Association, LGA, are predicting 140,000 job losses.
I fear for so many of my trading standards friends and colleagues, our TSI members. They are all fantastic professionals dedicated to their task but this funding sword is being waved in all directions as it cuts the flesh and bones of council services. TSI is 130 years old next year and our members have always been predominantly employed in local government. The health of the profession is entwined with the health of local authorities. Their sickness is our sickness. I don't blame councils because they have an impossible task in trying to balance priorities. That doesn't mean that I feel like staying in the same emergency ward as them though. There has to be another way if we are to sustain the trading standards profession as we know it and that is where my interest is. Inspiration returning!
I fear for so many of my trading standards friends and colleagues, our TSI members. They are all fantastic professionals dedicated to their task but this funding sword is being waved in all directions as it cuts the flesh and bones of council services. TSI is 130 years old next year and our members have always been predominantly employed in local government. The health of the profession is entwined with the health of local authorities. Their sickness is our sickness. I don't blame councils because they have an impossible task in trying to balance priorities. That doesn't mean that I feel like staying in the same emergency ward as them though. There has to be another way if we are to sustain the trading standards profession as we know it and that is where my interest is. Inspiration returning!
Friday 10 December 2010
Trading Standards or Tuition Fees?!
It's been another manic week for me and for us all at TSI. The Government's plans to change the machinery for consumer representation and protection, to abolish quangos and others and to use the broad shoulders of trading standards to carry even more of a consumer enforcement role is really churning the waters. I hope those shoulders can withstand the weight but with councils cutting their already meagre budgets by 30-40 percent even the strongest of trading standards services are going to wobble or fall.
What a day we chose yesterday too to take our trading standards case to Parliament! We had to run the gauntlet of thousands of protesting students, police and barriers to reach the House of Commons and then once we were inside and ready to lobby MPs and Peers we fell foul of a little debate on tuition fees!
Not to be deterred we scoured the building and managed to grab the attention of those MPs that had taken a break from the debating chamber and I am sure that they will all have been convinced by the strength of our case. The country without a strong front line trading standards workforce is unthinkable at a time when people and businesses needs them most.
Never a dull moment and the best way to take a break from a week like that is to get on my motorbike and enjoy that tarmac - snow and ice permitting!
What a day we chose yesterday too to take our trading standards case to Parliament! We had to run the gauntlet of thousands of protesting students, police and barriers to reach the House of Commons and then once we were inside and ready to lobby MPs and Peers we fell foul of a little debate on tuition fees!
Not to be deterred we scoured the building and managed to grab the attention of those MPs that had taken a break from the debating chamber and I am sure that they will all have been convinced by the strength of our case. The country without a strong front line trading standards workforce is unthinkable at a time when people and businesses needs them most.
Never a dull moment and the best way to take a break from a week like that is to get on my motorbike and enjoy that tarmac - snow and ice permitting!
Monday 6 December 2010
From Strasbourg to Basildon
A very helpful meeting with our most recent TSI Vice President Malcolm Harbour MEP today. From his vantage point as Chairman of the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee we talked around a range of matters ranging from consumer product safety to commercial practices to the Services directive and through to improving the resilience of business between Europe, China and the USA.
TSI delivers the UK European Consumer Centre and the equivalent for Services and we look forward to inviting Malcolm to see more of our good work in helping consumers via our contact centres and web services at our TSI head office in Basildon.
We are fortunate at TSI in having so many advocates and supporters not only in the UK Parliaments but also in Strasbourg and Brussels. I think they all recognise TSI and trading standards as a genuine force for the good and lend their help and always wise counsel in a very encouraging way. We shall see some of this on Thursday of this week when we take a TSI roadshow into the Westminster Parliament and illustrate to MPs and Peers the fantastic work that my trading standards colleagues around the country do for people, businesses and communities.
TSI delivers the UK European Consumer Centre and the equivalent for Services and we look forward to inviting Malcolm to see more of our good work in helping consumers via our contact centres and web services at our TSI head office in Basildon.
We are fortunate at TSI in having so many advocates and supporters not only in the UK Parliaments but also in Strasbourg and Brussels. I think they all recognise TSI and trading standards as a genuine force for the good and lend their help and always wise counsel in a very encouraging way. We shall see some of this on Thursday of this week when we take a TSI roadshow into the Westminster Parliament and illustrate to MPs and Peers the fantastic work that my trading standards colleagues around the country do for people, businesses and communities.
Sunday 5 December 2010
Look out for the Cowboys
You can be sure that as the snow melts and reveals the damage done to roofs, drives, drains and more then the cowboys will be out and about knocking on doors and looking for those that are most vulnerable to being ripped off.
Time to be careful and cautious and to do your best to know who you may be doing business with. TSI remains on record as calling for a complete ban on cold calling by property maintenance people but our calls continue to fall on deaf ears. I remain astonished that in this 21st century UK we don't have any reliable way by which consumers can choose a trader to repair or improve their home. We have a plethora of different schemes but none of which are significant enough to appeal to needy consumers.
Some schemes are run by the commercial sector and others by the public sector, many by my trading standards colleagues such as 'Buy With Confidence'. What we need is a mark and brand that enjoys high levels of consumer confidence and awareness. For example the 'kitemark' was once known to and seen by consumers as a mark of product quality. We have made such poor progress over the past twenty years and its about time we tackled the challenge.
Oh well and before I get too depressed......at least my Millwall Lions won 3-0 and moved up to 11th in The Championship!
Time to be careful and cautious and to do your best to know who you may be doing business with. TSI remains on record as calling for a complete ban on cold calling by property maintenance people but our calls continue to fall on deaf ears. I remain astonished that in this 21st century UK we don't have any reliable way by which consumers can choose a trader to repair or improve their home. We have a plethora of different schemes but none of which are significant enough to appeal to needy consumers.
Some schemes are run by the commercial sector and others by the public sector, many by my trading standards colleagues such as 'Buy With Confidence'. What we need is a mark and brand that enjoys high levels of consumer confidence and awareness. For example the 'kitemark' was once known to and seen by consumers as a mark of product quality. We have made such poor progress over the past twenty years and its about time we tackled the challenge.
Oh well and before I get too depressed......at least my Millwall Lions won 3-0 and moved up to 11th in The Championship!
Thursday 2 December 2010
Localism and Devolution -it must be right?!
Localism rules and devolvement sort of rules. I say 'sort of' because we are only part way along the exploratory journey of the evolvement of devolvement of Westminster powers and responsibilities to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Consumer affairs laws remain for example largely reserved to the Westminster Parliament. This has meant that my trading standards colleagues in Scotland and Wales have always laboured under the handicap of being seen by Holyrood and local government politicians and officials there as being in a service that itself is devolved but is delivering largely reserved matters.
That isn't helpful to them and their services have suffered accordingly. Indeed they are but a shadow of the pre-1996 local trading standards services. Now Scotland, for example, is talking of galvanising the police and fire services into perhaps a single Scotland police service or four fire boards.
There is a window of opportunity for trading standards there to be part of these new structures. I think there is general acceptance now that 32 trading standards services in Scotland is not conducive to future impact and effect. This leads to the point that 'localism' is not always right for services, like trading standards, that also have to have a strategic role. Localism is a strapline for this coalition government and I understand the point.
But then I hear the Transport Secretary saying this morning that he will investigate why some councils are gritting roads better than others. Obviously he wants to see the national road grid kept open and consistently so. Quite right. But localism rules Mr Hammond and councils must be able to choose whether they spend cash on rock salt or trading standards. That's right isn't it??!!
Consumer affairs laws remain for example largely reserved to the Westminster Parliament. This has meant that my trading standards colleagues in Scotland and Wales have always laboured under the handicap of being seen by Holyrood and local government politicians and officials there as being in a service that itself is devolved but is delivering largely reserved matters.
That isn't helpful to them and their services have suffered accordingly. Indeed they are but a shadow of the pre-1996 local trading standards services. Now Scotland, for example, is talking of galvanising the police and fire services into perhaps a single Scotland police service or four fire boards.
There is a window of opportunity for trading standards there to be part of these new structures. I think there is general acceptance now that 32 trading standards services in Scotland is not conducive to future impact and effect. This leads to the point that 'localism' is not always right for services, like trading standards, that also have to have a strategic role. Localism is a strapline for this coalition government and I understand the point.
But then I hear the Transport Secretary saying this morning that he will investigate why some councils are gritting roads better than others. Obviously he wants to see the national road grid kept open and consistently so. Quite right. But localism rules Mr Hammond and councils must be able to choose whether they spend cash on rock salt or trading standards. That's right isn't it??!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
