The purpose of our enforcement policy
Securing compliance with legislation is one of the mechanisms by which the Trading Standards Service achieves its overall objectives to:
- Objective 1: Develop our use of intelligence to scan and test the market place and tackle those organised criminal networks and unscrupulous businesses who deliberately, repeatedly or recklessly engage in fraudulent trading practices that harm the interests of consumers and legitimate businesses. Whilst rogue trading can occur in any trade sector we have identified the following that specifically impact our local communities:
- doorstep crime and scams
- cybercrime
- illicit tobacco
- product safety
- second-hand car sales
- intellectual property, and
- food fraud
- Objective 2: To support economic growth by helping businesses to comply with their legal responsibilities and enhancing public protection through delivery of our chargeable business advice services and through increasing the number of our business partnerships.
- Objective 3: To engage with the public, communities, businesses and partners to increase resilience and safeguard the vulnerable against scams, rogue trading and unfair business practices.
To do this we enforce a wide range of business and consumer protection legislation relating to:
- quality
- quantity
- safety
- description
- commercial animal welfare
- prices of goods and services
We undertake our duties in a variety of ways including:
- inspection
- sampling
- test purchasing
- testing
- investigation
- legal proceedings
- informing, advising and educating businesses and consumers
This policy adopts principles developed in conjunction with Trading Standards East Midlands (TSEM) to help us to promote an efficient and effective approach to regulatory enforcement. This helps to improve regulatory outcomes without imposing unnecessary burdens on legitimate businesses. TSEM is a partnership of local authority Trading Standards Services covering the East Midlands Region:
- Lincolnshire County Council
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Derbyshire County Council
- Leicestershire County Council
- Northamptonshire County Council
- Derby City Council
- Leicester City Council
- Nottingham City Council
The effectiveness of legislation protecting businesses and consumers is largely dependent upon the compliance of those it intends to regulate. The service recognises that most businesses want to comply with the law. We will endeavour to help them and others to meet their legal obligations.
In circumstances where we may share an enforcement responsibility with another agency for example The Competition and Markets Authority, The Food Standards Agency, Environmental Health and the Police, we will endeavour to coordinate with these agencies to minimise any unnecessary overlap or time delay and to maximise our effectiveness.