The 2012 Olympics. A big thing for trading standards. Today I chaired a meeting of trading standards colleagues from the London councils and from local authorities outside of London who are hosting events.
Big concerns about the lack of resources to tackle the counterfeiters, ticket touts and other rogues who will look to hijack the Olympic Games opportunity to rip off consumers, UK and overseas visitors, and leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who will be here to enjoy the spectacle and the experience.
The good thing is that I can see the professionalism and resolve of trading standards practitioners kicking in. The bad thing is that they need much more real help from central and local government and from the Olympic authorities and business to be able to keep the Olympic parks and the hinterland fair and clean of consumer crime. I shall be writing to Ministers and others to press the case even at this late hour.
Showing posts with label Consumers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consumers. Show all posts
Monday, 28 February 2011
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
A Consumer Minister...and much more
Seeing and hearing Ed Davey MP on television and radio this morning reminded me that the portfolios carried by modern day junior Ministers in Government are impossibly large. There he was talking for the Government on its plans for the post office network and the levels of investment to be made and there I am wondering how he manages to spread his time between such a spread of key roles.
His job title of Minister for Employment Relations, Consumers and Postal Affairs perhaps makes my point. Ed Davey is a very able and very likable man and I have had the pleasure of meeting with him several times. He performed admirably this morning in articulating the Government case. Similarly when he was on 'Question Time' recently he was clearly able to contribute his personal, his LibDem Party's and the Government's position robustly on a range of topics including his views on the London Mayor' interventions in the housing benefits debate.
My point is that today's consumers in our UK society deserve and should demand that any Government has a 'Consumer Minister' with a portfolio that only includes them and provides a focal point for and across Government, is an advocate for consumers in Whitehall and Westminster and is not otherwise having to spread him or herself so thinly, albeit so ably, over such a broad political and subject canvas. Consumers are the lifeblood of our economy and they deserve such bespoke attention.
His job title of Minister for Employment Relations, Consumers and Postal Affairs perhaps makes my point. Ed Davey is a very able and very likable man and I have had the pleasure of meeting with him several times. He performed admirably this morning in articulating the Government case. Similarly when he was on 'Question Time' recently he was clearly able to contribute his personal, his LibDem Party's and the Government's position robustly on a range of topics including his views on the London Mayor' interventions in the housing benefits debate.
My point is that today's consumers in our UK society deserve and should demand that any Government has a 'Consumer Minister' with a portfolio that only includes them and provides a focal point for and across Government, is an advocate for consumers in Whitehall and Westminster and is not otherwise having to spread him or herself so thinly, albeit so ably, over such a broad political and subject canvas. Consumers are the lifeblood of our economy and they deserve such bespoke attention.
Friday, 5 November 2010
TSI president calls upon council leaders to recognise 'extraordinary circumstances'
Yesterday our TSI President, Baroness Christine Crawley, kindly hosted myself and a TSI team in the House of Lords.
First we all met with Baroness Royall to talk about the issues raised by the Public Bodies Bill for trading standards, consumers and legitimate business and how she might respond, as leader of the opposition, to these concerns. Her interest and support are a fantastic boost to TSI.
Baroness Crawley then took time out of her hectic schedule to personally sign more than 200 letters to leaders of councils calling for them to recognise the 'extraordinary circumstances' trading standard services face and the need for sustained funding.
Those letters went out last night. This morning they should be in the hands of the people who can and will influence the funding of trading standards services. I hope they appreciate that these are indeed, as Christine says, 'extraordinary circumstances' and take action to sustain the funding needed to support the vital work done to protect consumers and legitimate business.
First we all met with Baroness Royall to talk about the issues raised by the Public Bodies Bill for trading standards, consumers and legitimate business and how she might respond, as leader of the opposition, to these concerns. Her interest and support are a fantastic boost to TSI.
Baroness Crawley then took time out of her hectic schedule to personally sign more than 200 letters to leaders of councils calling for them to recognise the 'extraordinary circumstances' trading standard services face and the need for sustained funding.
Those letters went out last night. This morning they should be in the hands of the people who can and will influence the funding of trading standards services. I hope they appreciate that these are indeed, as Christine says, 'extraordinary circumstances' and take action to sustain the funding needed to support the vital work done to protect consumers and legitimate business.
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'.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
