Trading Standards in a fight for survival

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?